Work permit dependent

On the website of the British Embassy in the US, a certified copy of my wifes' work permit is listed as being one of the many necessary documents that I need to mail in to the Embassy with my Work Permit Dependent Application.

I have spoken to several people at several different places, US and Great Britain alike, and have not found a single person who knows what a certified copy of a work permit is, let alone why I would need one. Wher do we get it?

HELP! I may throw myself if front of a bus soon.

JT

It means a photocopy that has been certified as a true copy of the original by someone who is qualified to do that (a lawyer can do it).

If you are in the states, you just have to go to a notary (ask at the bank), and it will cost you about $8-20.  Many employers will have a notary on site, in which case, it may not cost you anything. 

In the UK, it will be much more expensive because you have to go to a proper solicitor.  I just had a document notarised and it cost me 60 quid.  I called around to different solicitors asking if they did notary services and one referred me. 

All they will do, is take the work permit and photocopy it and then put their seal on it and sign it.  You will need to take your passport and proof of address. 

mrspink is correct. In the Uk it's called certified, in the states it's notarized. Your bank should be able to do it for you for free. I get things notarized at my bank all the time.

I also had them notarize extra copies of my DL, passport, and birth certificate, just in case I needed them after I got over there.

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it. The certification is what I thought it would be, but the issue is, her work permit is in the UK, and I am in the States. No one at her hospital seems to understand what a certified copy is, or who can certify it. Not a single person at the work permit home office, or the British embassy have even heard of a certified copy or know why I would need one, even though it is on the Embassy website. It will have to be done on her end and mailed to me. So...a 'solicitor' in the UK? Hmmm....I will pass that on. Thanks.

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it. The certification is what I thought it would be, but the issue is, her work permit is in the UK, and I am in the States. No one at her hospital seems to understand what a certified copy is, or who can certify it. Not a single person at the work permit home office, or the British embassy have even heard of a certified copy or know why I would need one, even though it is on the Embassy website. It will have to be done on her end and mailed to me. So...a 'solicitor' in the UK? Hmmm....I will pass that on. Thanks.

Doesn't she need her work permit here to apply for entry clearance?

In the UK you must see a Notary.  When I went, he explained it to me, that it is a long standing tradition going back to Roman times.  A notary must be a fully qualified solicitor and then they must go through another 1-2 year long course.  In North America, a notary only needs to take aN 8 hour course and then apply for their seal.  Hence the reason it is so much more expensive in UK than in the US.

I would opt for the sending it to the US to have it notarised.  And do any  other documents you might need while you're at it..

That would be a bad idea.  If the work permit holder is in the UK she should keep it with her in the UK.

All she needs to do is look in the Yellow Pages for a notary, or go to a high Street solicitor, and they will photocopy it and stamp the copy to confirm that it is a true copy.  Then she must post it to you.

Dead simple really.

Victoria