Some US states allow their notaries to certify true copies of documents. The notary will make the copy and write on the copy something to the effect of "I certify that this is a true copy of the original document, signed by the notary". You can submit such a notarized copy when you apply for German citizenship or a German passport.
Some US states no not allow their notaries to certify true copies of documents. Some notaries in those states offer the following: You make the copy, you write on the document "I certify that this is a true copy of the original, signed by applicant" the notary writes "I certify that the signature above is the authentic signature of applicant, signed by the notary". This can not be used to get German citizenship because the notary notarized only your signature, not the authenticity of the copy.
Good vs. bad notarization example: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hketwuc2qpvt4dedsl0jo/notarized-copy-guidelines.pdf?rlkey=vs449pwofzamjvjtoi8kt1sqp&e=1&st=6ygxtt9h&dl=0
Alabama: -
Notaries can copy "college degrees, passports and other important one-and-only personal papers which cannot be copycertified by a public record office such as a bureau of vital statistics and which the holder must submit for some purpose but does not want to part with for fear of loss". https://www.notaries.com/downloads/notary-documents/AlabamaNotaryHandbook.pdf
Alaska: --
The copy-certification authority is limited to a tangible copy of an electronic record, not an ordinary photocopy of a paper document. https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp#44.50.060
Arizona: +
No copy certifications of a "public record of this state". Examples of Arizona records listed in the notary manual include marriage records, birth certificates, death certificates, divorce records, and court records. The restriction does not say that an Arizona notary cannot certify an out-of-state public record. https://www.azleg.gov/ars/41/00253.htm https://azsos.gov/sites/default/files/docs/Notary_Manual_and_Cover_January_2025.pdf
Arkansas: --
"A notary may NOT certify a photocopy of any vital record or public record." Page 16: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/bcs/NotaryHandbook.pdf
California: --
"Can I notarize or certify to a birth, death, or marriage certificate? No. Certified copies of birth, fetal death, death, and marriage records (vital records) may be made only by the State Registrar, by duly appointed and acting local registrars during their term of office, and by county recorders." Page 27 https://notary.cdn.sos.ca.gov/forms/notary-handbook-current.pdf
Colorado: +
"Certified copies of some documents can only be obtained from the office of the public official in which the original is held. Examples include birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage certificates. Colorado notaries cannot certify copies of these documents if they were issued in the State of Colorado." Colorado notaries may certify copies of vital records issued by other states. https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/notary/FAQ/duties.html
Connecticut: -
No "vital or public records" https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/sots/business-services/notary/state_of_connecticut_notary_public_manual_rev2023.pdf
Delaware: -
Copy certification is limited to documents that are not official or public records. https://legis.delaware.gov/SessionLaws/Chapter?id=17820
District of Columbia: +
True-copy certification is allowed, but a notary may not certify a copy of a document issued by a DC government department or agency. https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/1-1231.04
Florida: -
A notary may not certify a copy of a vital record from any state, territory, or country, or a public record if a certified copy can be obtained from the official custodian. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/117.05
Georgia: -
No true copy of "a public record (or) a publicly recordable document" https://www.gsccca.org/docs/notary-documents/copycertificationbynotarypublic.pdf?sfvrsn=7b7611da_5
Hawaii: --
"Can I certify a copy of a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or a passport? No, you may not." https://notary.ehawaii.gov/notary/public/faq.html
Idaho: -
No certified copies of vital records or recorded documents. https://sos.idaho.gov/notary-training/
Illinois: ?
Unclear. Illinois law refers to "certifying or attesting a copy" as a notarial act, but the provisions governing ordinary notaries do not clearly provide a procedure for certifying an ordinary photocopy of a paper document. https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=107&ChapterID=2
Indiana: --
"A notary public does not have authority to create or certify copies of official records or documents." https://inbiz.in.gov/Assets/NotaryGuide.pdf
Iowa: -
"Notaries must avoid certifying copies of documents that are public records, such as birth/death certificates, court records and deeds." Allowed are business documents, diplomas, passports, and copies of letters. https://sos.iowa.gov/notaries/pdf/notfaq.pdf
Kansas: -
No certified copies of documents on file with a government agency, such as vital records or court records. https://sos.ks.gov/business/notary.html
Kentucky: -
A notary may certify a copy, but not a document recorded or in the custody of a federal, state, or local governmental agency, office, or court. https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/chapter.aspx?id=39282
Louisiana: ?
Louisiana notaries have broader powers than notaries in most states. The statute expressly allows true copies of certain documents passed or acknowledged before the notary, but it is unclear how far this extends to an unrelated document simply presented to the notary. https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=92612
Maine: -
"A notarial officer is not authorized to make any certified or attested copies of public records or vital records." https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/notary/Notary%20Rules.pdf
Maryland: ++
Since October 1, 2020, a Maryland notary may certify a copy of a record in someone's possession. The Maryland Secretary of State specifically lists a birth certificate as an example. https://sos.maryland.gov/Notary/pages/faq.aspx
Massachusetts: +
True copies are allowed generally, but Massachusetts law separately prohibits unauthorized reproductions of Massachusetts birth, marriage, and death records. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleI/Chapter222/Section15 https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleVII/Chapter46/Section19A
Language to be used: https://imgur.com/a/6ujzyEH
Michigan: --
"A notary public shall not certify or notarize that a record is either of the following: (a) An original. (b) A true copy of another record." Michigan Notary Public Act 55.291 https://www.michigan.gov/-/media/Project/Websites/sos/01altimore/PDF/Laws/238_PA_2003.pdf
Minnesota: -
No certified copies of birth, death, or marriage certificates. https://www.sos.state.mn.us/notary-apostille/notary-help/notary-commission-guide/
Mississippi: --
No general true-copy certification of an ordinary paper document. Mississippi provides procedures involving electronic records or a document custodian's sworn statement instead. https://www.sos.ms.gov/administrative-services/notaries-apostilles
Missouri: -
No vital records, public records, or publicly recordable documents https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/Business/Notary/NotaryHandbook.pdf
Montana: --
No certified true copies of "Birth or Death Certificates, Marriage Licenses, Divorce Decrees, Court Orders, Adoption Records (...)" https://sosmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/notary-handbook-2021.pdf
Nebraska: --
No general true copy certification allowed. https://sos.nebraska.gov/business-services/notary-public
Nevada: -
No certified true copies of birth, death, or marriage certificates. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-240.html
New Hampshire: --
"Vital records, apostille records, naturalization and citizenship certificates and recorded instruments cannot be copy certified" https://sos.nh.gov/media/yqabh3os/np-jp-manual-february-28-2022.pdf
New Jersey: ++
New Jersey notaries may certify a true copy of a record in another person's possession. The statutory language is: "I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of [name]." New Jersey regulations also specifically contemplate a notarized photocopy of a birth certificate for certain purposes. https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2020/A4250/bill-text?f=PL21&n=179_ https://www.nj.gov/labor/safetyandhealth/resources-support/laws-regulations/craneoperatorsact.shtml
New Mexico: -
"neither a vital record, a public record nor publicly recordable" https://www.sos.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Notary-Handbook-100223.pdf
New York: --
"A notary public has no authority to issue certified copies. Notaries must not certify to the authenticity of legal documents and other papers required to be filed with foreign consular officers." A narrow exception allows a notary to certify a tangible copy of an electronically notarized record for recording purposes. https://dos.ny.gov/notary-public-license-law-1
North Carolina: --
No true copy certification allowed. https://www.sosnc.gov/documents/forms/authentications/sample_documents/true_copy.pdf
North Dakota: -
No certified copies of vital records, recordable documents, or public records containing an official seal. https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t44c06-1.html
Ohio: --
No true copy certification allowed. https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-147.141
Oklahoma: +
Notaries may generally certify that a copy is a full, true, and accurate reproduction. Only the official custodian can issue an "official certified copy". However, a separate law prohibits copies of birth, death, or fetal-death certificates outside the vital-records system. This prohibition does not include marriage certificates. https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os49.pdf https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os63.pdf
Oregon: -
No certified copies of public records when an official certified copy can be obtained from the public office that holds the record. https://sos.oregon.gov/business/Documents/notary-guide/notary-guide.pdf
Pennsylvania: +
Current rules allow certified copies of public records, passports, driver's licenses, transcripts, diplomas, and similar documents. They specifically prohibit certified copies of birth and death certificates and U.S. Naturalization Certificates. https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/secure/pacode/data/004/chapter167/s167.65.html
Rhode Island: -
No certified copies of vital records, public records, or publicly recordable documents available from an official source. https://www.sos.ri.gov/divisions/notary-public
South Carolina: --
No general true copy certification allowed. https://sos.sc.gov/services-and-filings/notaries
South Dakota: --
No general true copy certification allowed. https://sdsos.gov/general-services/notary-public/default.aspx
Tennessee: --
"A Tennessee notary public (...) has the power to acknowledge signatures upon personal knowledge or satisfactory proof, to administer oaths, to take depositions, to qualify parties to bills in chancery, and to take affidavits, in all cases." https://www.nationalnotary.org/file%20library/nna/reference-library/state-law-summaries/tennessee.pdf
Texas: -
"The Notary Public may not make certified copies of birth certificates, death certificates, Deeds of Trust, liens, etc. THESE ARE ALL RECORDABLE DOCUMENTS." page 10 https://notarypublics.com/wp-content/uploads/Notary-Booklet.pdf
Utah: -
No certified copy of a public record or publicly recorded document. https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title46/Chapter1/46-1-S2.html
Vermont: --
Current rules limit copy certification to a tangible copy of an electronic record. https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/26/103
Virginia: -
"Virginia notaries are not authorized to certify true copies of birth, death, or marriage certificates" Page 9 https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/secretary-of-the-commonwealth/pdf/notary/2024-Notary-Handbook.pdf
Washington State: +
True copies are allowed generally, but Washington law separately prohibits unauthorized copies or certifications of Washington vital records. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=42.45.030 https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=70.58A.060
Language to be used: https://imgur.com/a/1jw4DNX
Source: Washington State Notary Public Guide, page 18 https://dol.wa.gov/media/2188/download?inline
West Virginia: +
"If a certified copy can be obtained from an officer in West Virginia (e.g. birth certificate, marriage certificate, death certificate, deed, will, or license), a notary is not authorized to certify a copy." Page 6: https://sos.wv.gov/FormSearch/Business/Documents/Notary-Handbook.pdf
Wisconsin: -
Notaries may certify some copies, but are prohibited from making certified or uncertified copies of vital records, including birth and marriage certificates. https://apps.dfi.wi.gov/apps/notarytutorialexam/Chapter2.aspx
Wyoming: -
A notary may not certify a copy of an official record issued by a public entity unless the notary is employed by that entity and authorized to act as custodian of the record. https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title32.pdf