Certification of documents

All documents giving evidence of name, name change, citizenship, or residency status must be certified (witnessed/notarised) as "true copies" of the original document by a person of suitable authority.

A Justice of the Peace (JP) is authorised to certify copies of documents for you. If you are in New Zealand, look through the list on the Royal Federation of NZ Justices' Associations website to find a JP in your area:

Royal Federation of NZ Justices' Associations

There is a JP Service at the AskOtago Central Hub in Dunedin, on most Wednesdays from 9am to 3pm. Some University of Otago staff are also JPs:

JPs at the University of Otago

The following are also authorised to certify documents as true copies of the originals:

• Court registrar or deputy registrar
• Members of Parliament
• Notary public
• Solicitor
• University of Otago administrative or liaison staff

These authorities may or may not stamp the document copy as a JP does, but they must give their name as well as their signature, the date, and preferably their contact details.

Documentation can also be submitted in person at one of our campuses. Staff will take a photocopy of any original documents:

• AskOtago Hubs
• Invercargill campus (College of Education)

If you are required to provide any documents for admission to the University for identity purposes, you will be sent an alert through your eVision portal. High quality scans or photos can be uploaded using the link sent to you in the alert.

If you are overseas, you may be able to locate a notary public, lawyer or solicitor, or a New Zealand diplomatic officer; JPs can be found in many Commonwealth countries, such as Australia. Other overseas authorities may be accepted as authorised persons on a case-by-case basis. If you are unsure, contact AskOtago who will assist you in finding a suitable witness.

Additional requirements for Children's Act safety checks

As part of the application process for some programmes, you may be asked to complete a student safety check under the Children's Act, which includes a NZ Police vet and identity verification.

This is generally required if your studies require interaction with children (e.g. teaching programmes) or patients (many professional health science and some science programmes).

For these safety checks, identity must be confirmed by sighting two original identity documents in person:

• One primary and one secondary document
• At least one must be photographic
• Documents must be current (expired documents cannot be accepted)
• Documents with a signature field must be signed

If the two identity documents are in different names, original evidence of a name change must also be sighted.

Unlike standard document certification for admission, certified copies alone are not sufficient for completing identity verification under the Children's Act.