NatWest Group certified copy guide: UK practising solicitor certified true copy for ID and proof of address (2026)

If NatWest Bank (or NatWest International) asks you for “certified copies”, the fastest way to avoid rejection is to match three things:

1. who certified it
2. what they wrote on the copy
3. how you sent it (email vs post)

NatWest’s own guidance (including for overseas / document-by-email cases) is very specific about this.

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What “certified copy” and “certified true copy” means for NatWest

In plain terms: a professional has seen the original document, and they certify your copy is a true copy of that original. NatWest also requires the certifier’s identifying details on the certification.

NatWest lists these as authorised certifiers:

• A lawyer
• An embassy, consulate, or high commission (excluding British Embassy / Consulate / High Commission)
• An overseas bank
• An associate or banking correspondent of a NatWest / Royal Bank of Scotland overseas bank
• A subsidiary of NatWest / Royal Bank of Scotland
• An offshore office of NatWest / Royal Bank of Scotland (or a subsidiary / branch, if visiting the UK) (NatWest)

For a UK-based workflow, a UK practising solicitor (England & Wales) is typically the cleanest option.

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What the certifier must include on the certification

NatWest says the certifier needs to provide:

• full name
• business name
• business address
• business contact number

If any of these are missing, it’s a common reason documents get kicked back.

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Suggested solicitor certification wording (simple + bank-friendly)

On the copy (ideally on the front, and on any page that contains content), the solicitor can add wording along these lines:

Certified to be a true copy of the original document seen by me.

Name: [full name]
Business: [firm name]
Address: [full business address]
Contact number: [phone]
Date: [date]
Signature: ____________________

That format is designed to satisfy NatWest’s “who + how to contact + when” requirements.

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Sending documents by email (what NatWest says to do)

NatWest’s guidance includes:

• photos must be in colour and readable
• the whole document must be visible in the photo
• accepted file types include PDF, JPEG/JPG, BMP, DOC/DOCX, GIF, PNG, TIF
• do not send compressed documents

They also publish a dedicated email address for document sending in that workflow and note it is no-reply.

Practical tip: send one document per file, and name files clearly (Passport-PhotoPage.pdf, CouncilTax-2025-11.pdf).

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Proof of ID NatWest commonly accepts

Examples shown in NatWest’s document guidance include (depending on the journey/team handling your case):

• current signed passport
• EU/EEA national ID card
• UK or EU/EEA driving licence
• visa / biometric residence permit

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Proof of address NatWest commonly accepts

NatWest examples include:

• bank statement (often must be recent; NatWest guidance in other contexts specifies time windows)
• council tax bill
• utility bill
• mortgage statement / solicitor mortgage correspondence
• tenancy agreement / housing authority tenancy agreement
• HMRC letter

Because NatWest can apply different recency rules by product/team, treat “recent” as the safe default (and match whatever the request email/letter says).

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How Ginkgo Advisory Limited can help (fast, low-rejection)

• Tell you which ID + address document is most likely to pass first time (based on NatWest’s list and typical bank KYC rejection patterns).
• Arrange remote / online UK practising solicitor certification with the right details included (name, business, address, phone, date).
• Provide a clean “email-ready” scan pack (colour, whole document visible, correct formats, no compression) so you can submit smoothly.