Can a notary certify a copy of a birth certificate in El Paso?

No. Texas does not allow a notary to certify copies of vital records — birth, death and marriage certificates — or of any document recordable in the public records, such as deeds, divorce decrees and court orders. Certified copies of those come only from the agency that holds the record: Texas DSHS Vital Statistics for birth and death certificates, the El Paso County Clerk for marriage licenses and deeds. For an apostille, that official copy is what the Secretary of State requires.

How much does a certified copy cost from a notary in El Paso?

The Texas statutory fee is $10 for the certificate plus $1 for each page copied (Tex. Gov't Code §406.024), and QWIK adds a nominal $39 travel fee anywhere in El Paso, itemized separately. A certified copy of a one-page passport data page therefore comes to $50; a five-page contract comes to $54. Each additional certified copy of the same document is another $10 plus its pages. After-hours and out-of-area appointments are quoted first — call or text (915) 302-0902.

Can you certify a copy of my passport or driver license?

Yes. A passport, passport card, Texas driver license or ID card, military ID and Mexican consular ID are not recordable documents, so a Texas notary may certify copies of them. Bring the original; we photocopy it or watch you copy it, compare the two and attach the certificate. Typical El Paso requests: job or study applications abroad, Fort Bliss families preparing for a move, and banks or brokers that want a certified ID copy for an account opened remotely.

Can a notary certify a copy of my diploma or transcript for an apostille?

Yes — a common request from El Paso graduates headed to Mexico or overseas. A diploma is not a recordable document, so the notary certifies a copy of the original, and the Texas Secretary of State then apostilles the notarized certificate for $15. Transcripts should be the official, school-issued version; some universities prefer a notarized registrar statement instead, so ask the school and the receiving institution which path they accept. We handle the notarization and the Secretary of State step.

Do I need to be present for a certified copy, and how long does it take?

Someone has to hand the notary the original document — the certificate attests to a comparison with that original, so we cannot certify from a photo or a scan sent by text. It does not have to be the person named in the document; a spouse, parent or office manager may present it. The appointment itself takes about 15 minutes for a few pages, anywhere in El Paso, same day when the schedule allows.

Certified Copy Notary in El Paso, TX

Certified Copies in El Paso — Passports, Diplomas and Records Certified at Your Door

A Texas notary may certify a copy of a document that is not recordable and not a vital record — a passport, driver license, diploma, letter or contract. We copy the original in front of you, compare the two and attach the certificate, anywhere in El Paso.

Texas Notary Public · commissioned by the Texas Secretary of State · online notary commission

A certified copy is a photocopy that a Texas notary has compared with the original and certified as a true and complete copy. El Paso residents need them regularly: a UTEP graduate sending a copy of a diploma to an employer abroad, a Fort Bliss soldier who wants a certified copy of a passport before a deployment, a family that needs a copy of a signed lease or contract for a dispute, and small businesses on Montana Avenue certifying copies of their own records for a bid. The certificate tells the recipient that the copy is a faithful reproduction of the document shown to the notary on that date — nothing more, nothing less.

Under Tex. Gov't Code §406.016 and Texas Secretary of State guidance, a notary may certify a copy only of a document that is not recordable in the public records and is not a vital record. Birth, death and marriage certificates, divorce decrees, deeds and court documents are out: those certified copies come only from the agency that holds the record — the El Paso County Clerk for deeds and marriage licenses, Texas DSHS Vital Statistics for birth and death records. A passport, driver license, diploma, transcript, letter, contract or business record qualifies. The notary makes or supervises the copy, compares it with the original and attaches a certificate; the statutory fee is $10 plus $1 per page copied.

Text or call (915) 302-0902 with the document and page count; we confirm the total — $10 per certified copy, $1 per page and the $39 travel fee — before we head out. We come to your home, office, campus or hospital anywhere in El Paso, in English or Spanish, by appointment seven days a week, and a single document takes about 15 minutes. Bring the original — a photocopy of a photocopy cannot be certified. We cannot certify a vital record or a recorded deed however urgent the need, and only the recipient can say whether a notarized copy will be accepted — ask them first. If the copy is headed abroad, ask us about the apostille.

Documents we notarize

Passport copies
Driver license and ID copies
Consular ID (matrícula) copies
Diplomas and transcripts (school-issued copies)
Letters
Contracts
Lease agreements
Business records
Social Security card copies

Documents we can and cannot certify in El Paso

Yes: passports and passport cards, Texas driver licenses and ID cards, consular IDs, Social Security cards, diplomas and school-issued transcripts, letters, contracts and leases, and business records. No: birth, death and marriage certificates, divorce decrees, adoption and court orders, warranty deeds and deeds of trust, and anything else already filed in a public record. For those, order a certified copy from the issuing office — the El Paso County Clerk, Texas DSHS Vital Statistics or the district clerk — which is also what the Texas Secretary of State requires before it will apostille a vital record.

How a notarized copy is used — and its limits

A notary's certificate says one thing: this copy matches the original that was shown to me. It does not vouch for the original's authenticity, and it does not turn a copy into the document itself — an employer can insist on seeing your passport, and a school can require a transcript mailed by the registrar. Ask the recipient before you book. Copies headed outside the United States often need a Texas Secretary of State apostille on top of the notarization, which we can handle. Employers completing a Form I-9 must examine originals — a certified copy is not a substitute.

What to bring

The original document — not a copy — for every page you need certified
Your unexpired photo ID for our notary journal
The recipient's instructions, including how many certified copies they want
For documents headed abroad, the destination country, so we can explain the apostille step
Payment for $10 per certified copy, $1 per page and the $39 travel fee, confirmed when you book

How a mobile appointment works

Text or call to book

Text or call (915) 302-0902 with the document type, the number of pages and how many certified copies you need. We confirm whether a Texas notary may certify it and the total — $10 per copy, $1 per page, plus the $39 travel fee.

We come to you

Your notary meets you at your home, office or campus anywhere in El Paso, inspects the original, makes or supervises the photocopy, compares the two page by page and attaches a signed and sealed certificate of true copy.

Signed, sealed, done

You keep the original and the certified copy, and send the copy to the employer, school, bank or agency that asked for it. If it is going to Mexico or abroad, we can send it on to the Texas Secretary of State for an apostille.