US Passport Certified Copy – Same-Day Remote UK Solicitor Certification

Need a US passport certified copy for a bank, company, lawyer, employer, KYC check or overseas authority?

Ginkgo Advisory provides an express remote UK solicitor service for certified copies of United States passports.

We can assist with the USA-AO-05001 US Passport, corresponding to the modern United States Next Generation Passport design with an integrated biodata card.

Our remote verification process can include a clear passport copy, video inspection of the original physical passport and, where appropriate, electronic passport chip verification using a compatible NFC-enabled passport-reading application.

Same-day service is available where all required evidence is received and the solicitor is satisfied that the passport copy can properly be certified.

US Passport Certification for USA-AO-05001

The USA-AO-05001 is an ordinary passport issued by the United States of America.

Its official title is:

PASSPORT

The document incorporates an integrated biodata card together with advanced physical and optical security features.

The U.S. Department of State describes this generation as the Next Generation Passport and began issuing the design in 2021.

Key details include:

• Issuing country: United States of America
• Country code: USA
• Document category: Passport
• Document type: Ordinary passport
• Document reference: USA-AO-05001
• Passport generation: Next Generation Passport
• Construction: Passport booklet
• Standard booklet: 26 pages
• Size: approximately 88 × 125 mm
• Cover colour: Blue
• Cover construction: Hard cover
• Cover material: Plastic
• Cover embossing: Gold hot foil stamping
• Biodata card: Integrated identity card
• Electronic passport capability: Available on modern U.S. passport books

The passport contains physical, optical and electronic security characteristics that can provide several independent points of comparison during remote verification.

What Does US Passport Certification Mean?

A certified passport copy is a copy that a solicitor has checked against the original passport presented for inspection.

The solicitor then adds appropriate certification wording to the copy.

For example, the certification may state that the document is a:

true copy of the original document seen

The exact wording can depend on the organisation receiving the certified copy.

A solicitor-certified U.S. passport copy will normally include:

• the solicitor’s signature;
• date of certification;
• solicitor’s full name;
• professional status;
• firm or business details; and
• appropriate certification wording.

Before certification, you should tell us who requires the document, the destination country and the purpose for which the certified copy will be used.

Banks, lawyers, financial institutions, employers and overseas authorities can have different certification requirements.

Remote US Passport Certification

You may not need to attend a solicitor’s office to obtain a certified copy of your U.S. passport.

In suitable cases, the verification can be completed remotely.

We may combine several forms of evidence so that the solicitor can assess both the original passport and the person presenting it.

1. Send a Clear Colour Copy of Your US Passport

First, send us a clear colour scan or high-quality photograph of the passport identity page.

The complete page should be visible.

The copy should clearly show information such as:

• your photograph;
• full name;
• nationality;
• date of birth;
• passport number;
• date of issue;
• date of expiry; and
• machine-readable zone, or MRZ.

This allows the solicitor to compare the copy with the original passport shown during the remote verification process.

2. Provide a Short Passport Verification Video

We may ask you to provide a short video showing:

• your face;
• the original physical passport;
• the integrated biodata card;
• your passport photograph;
• the blue passport cover;
• selected internal pages; and
• the passport being moved or tilted under the light.

Video provides more information than a static passport scan.

The USA-AO-05001 incorporates several optically variable security features whose appearance changes depending on the viewing angle.

Moving the original passport can therefore provide useful supporting evidence.

3. Complete an NFC Passport Chip Check

Modern U.S. passport books are electronic passports containing an electronic chip.

For a suitable USA-AO-05001 passport, we may therefore ask you to scan the passport using an NFC-enabled smartphone and an appropriate passport-reading application.

Depending on the application and passport, an NFC check may provide electronic information such as:

• passport data;
• MRZ information;
• electronically stored facial image data;
• information retrieved from the passport chip; and
• electronic authentication results supported by the application.

This provides another source of information that can be compared with the physical passport and passport copy.

An NFC passport scan does not itself constitute solicitor certification.

It provides supporting electronic evidence for the solicitor’s assessment.

Why We Use Video and NFC Verification

A scanned passport page can show the information printed on the document.

However, a scan alone does not necessarily demonstrate that the customer currently possesses the original physical passport.

For suitable electronic passports, our verification process can therefore combine:

passport copy + original passport video + passport holder’s face + MRZ comparison + NFC passport chip information

This gives the solicitor several different sources of evidence before deciding whether the passport copy can properly be certified.

The exact requirements may vary from case to case.

Security Features of the USA-AO-05001 US Passport

The USA-AO-05001 U.S. passport contains numerous physical and optical security features.

These features make the passport more difficult to reproduce or alter and can assist when examining the original document remotely.

Blue Hard Passport Cover

The passport uses a blue hard cover.

The cover is constructed using plastic material and incorporates gold-coloured hot foil stamping.

The appearance and construction of the original cover provide one point of comparison when examining the physical passport booklet.

Integrated Biodata Card

The USA-AO-05001 incorporates an integrated biodata card.

The U.S. Next Generation Passport uses a durable polycarbonate data page.

Personal information and security elements are integrated into the identity page rather than simply being printed on ordinary paper.

This makes unauthorised alteration substantially more difficult.

Laser-Engraved Identity Features

The Next Generation Passport uses laser engraving in its identity-page construction.

Laser engraving allows identity information and security characteristics to be incorporated into the polycarbonate structure of the data page.

This differs from an ordinary photograph or printed paper page.

Black-and-White Facial Image

The integrated biodata card contains a black-and-white facial image of the passport holder.

During remote verification, the solicitor can compare:

• the person appearing in the video;
• the facial image on the passport;
• the passport copy supplied; and
• electronic facial image information where available through the passport chip.

Additional Facial Images

The passport contains more than one facial-image security element.

In addition to the main identity image, other facial-image representations appear within the passport’s security design.

Page 3 also incorporates a secondary colour ghost image.

Multiple representations of the passport holder provide additional points of comparison and make alteration of the identity information more difficult.

Computer-Generated DOVID

The integrated biodata card incorporates a computer-generated DOVID.

A DOVID is a diffractive optically variable image device.

Its visual appearance can change as the passport is tilted or observed from different angles.

This is one reason why a video of the original passport can provide more information than a flat scanned image.

Laser-Activated Image Structure

The passport also incorporates a laser-activated image structure within a DOVID.

This combines laser-based personalisation with an optically variable security device.

The interaction between these technologies provides another anti-counterfeiting feature.

Variable Laser Image

The integrated biodata card includes a variable laser image, sometimes described as CLI or MLI technology.

The appearance of this security element changes depending on the angle from which the passport is viewed.

We may therefore ask you to slowly tilt or move the original passport during the verification video.

UV Security Features

The USA-AO-05001 contains security features intended to be viewed under 365 nm ultraviolet light.

UV elements appear in multiple parts of the passport, including:

• inside front cover;
• inside back cover;
• integrated biodata card;
• reverse of the integrated card;
• page 3; and
• internal passport pages.

Some fluorescent security printing is invisible under normal lighting.

These elements form part of the passport’s overall anti-counterfeiting design.

Security Features Under Oblique Light

Several elements of the passport are intended to be examined under oblique light.

This means that the document may display different physical or optical characteristics when viewed from an angle.

Moving the passport under ordinary lighting can therefore sometimes reveal characteristics that are not apparent from a straight-on photograph.

Security Features Under Co-Axial Light

The reverse of the integrated card also contains a security feature designed to be examined using co-axial lighting.

This provides another specialist physical security characteristic within the passport design.

Watermark on Page 3

Page 3 incorporates a centred watermark.

The watermark is intended to be viewed using transmitted light.

Because a watermark forms part of the paper structure, it is difficult to reproduce accurately using ordinary printing or photocopying techniques.

Perforated Passport Number

An important feature of the U.S. Next Generation Passport is its perforated alphanumeric passport number.

The U.S. Department of State describes the number as appearing through the passport pages.

This provides another continuity and anti-counterfeiting feature across the booklet.

During remote verification, we may ask you to show selected pages or turn through the passport so that aspects of the booklet construction can be observed.

Numbering Security Features

The USA-AO-05001 contains numbering security features on several parts of the document.

These include numbering on the integrated biodata card and elsewhere in the booklet.

Some numbering features can also be examined using transmitted light.

Security Printing

Specialised printing techniques are used throughout the passport.

Security printing appears on:

• inside front cover;
• inside back cover;
• integrated biodata card; and
• other parts of the passport booklet.

These features form another layer of protection against alteration or reproduction.

Inner Passport Pages

The standard USA-AO-05001 passport booklet contains 26 pages.

Internal pages contain additional security characteristics, including UV features.

Because document security extends beyond the biodata page, we may ask you to show selected internal pages during remote verification.

This also helps demonstrate possession of the complete original passport.

Electronic Chip and NFC Verification

Modern U.S. passports are electronic passports.

The electronic chip can provide another layer of identity and document verification beyond the physical security features.

Where appropriate, information retrieved through compatible passport-reading technology can be compared with:

• printed passport biodata;
• MRZ information;
• the passport holder’s photograph;
• the person appearing in the verification video; and
• the electronic facial image.

Electronic verification complements rather than replaces physical examination of the original passport.

The solicitor remains responsible for determining whether the evidence available is sufficient for certification.

Same-Day US Passport Certified Copy Service

Ginkgo Advisory provides an express same-day U.S. passport certification service.

Customers may require a certified passport copy urgently for:

• KYC checks;
• AML checks;
• banks;
• financial institutions;
• investment accounts;
• company formation;
• Companies House matters;
• company compliance;
• property transactions;
• mortgage applications;
• employment;
• professional registration;
• university administration;
• legal matters;
• powers of attorney;
• inheritance matters;
• probate matters; or
• overseas applications.

To maximise the possibility of same-day completion, please provide all requested documents and verification evidence as early as possible.

Same-day service remains subject to successful verification.

The solicitor must be satisfied that the original passport has been adequately verified and that the copy can properly be certified.

US Passport Certification in London and Across the UK

Our remote service means that you may not need to attend a solicitor’s office.

We can assist U.S. passport holders throughout the UK, including:

London, City of London, Westminster, Kensington, Chelsea, Hammersmith, Fulham, Richmond, Putney, Wimbledon, Kingston upon Thames, Ealing, Hounslow, Croydon, Surrey, Reading, Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Southampton and elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

U.S. citizens living outside central London can normally use the same remote verification process.

US Passport Certification for Americans Living in the UK

U.S. citizens living or working in the United Kingdom frequently need certified passport copies.

For example, certification may be required for:

• UK banking;
• KYC and AML checks;
• company formation;
• Companies House matters;
• investment accounts;
• property purchases;
• mortgages;
• employment;
• professional registration;
• legal transactions; or
• other administrative purposes.

Where the receiving organisation accepts certification by a UK solicitor, the process may be completed remotely.

US Passport Certification for Clients Outside the UK

You may also need a UK solicitor-certified copy of a U.S. passport while living outside the United Kingdom.

A certified passport may be required for:

• international banking;
• KYC;
• investment accounts;
• company registration;
• property transactions;
• foreign lawyers;
• employment;
• inheritance matters; or
• another overseas authority.

Depending on the recipient’s requirements, remote UK solicitor certification may be suitable.

Please tell us:

• where you currently live;
• who requires the certified copy;
• the destination country;
• the intended purpose; and
• whether particular certification wording has been specified.

We can then consider the appropriate certification process.

US Passport Certified Copy for KYC and AML

A U.S. passport may be used as a primary identity document for KYC and AML purposes.

Banks, financial institutions, professional firms and companies may ask for a certified passport copy as part of their customer due diligence.

Where UK solicitor certification is accepted, our remote verification process can combine:

• a clear passport copy;
• video of the passport holder;
• inspection of the original passport;
• comparison of facial images;
• MRZ comparison; and
• electronic passport chip information where appropriate.

The organisation receiving the document ultimately determines whether solicitor certification satisfies its own compliance requirements.

US Passport Certification for Companies House and Corporate Purposes

Certified U.S. passport copies may also be required for:

• company formation;
• Companies House matters;
• directors;
• shareholders;
• persons with significant control;
• beneficial ownership checks;
• corporate service providers;
• accountants;
• lawyers;
• banks; and
• corporate compliance.

The precise requirements should always be confirmed with the organisation requesting the document.

US Passport Certified Copy for UK and Overseas Use

Many organisations accept a passport copy certified by a UK solicitor.

However, requirements differ between countries and organisations.

Some recipients may instead require:

• notarisation;
• an apostille;
• embassy or consular legalisation; or
• particular certification wording.

Please tell us the destination country and intended purpose before certification.

This can help avoid unnecessary repeat certification.

Certified Copy, Notarisation and Apostille: What Is the Difference?

These procedures are different.

Solicitor-Certified US Passport Copy

A UK solicitor examines the original passport and certifies that the copy corresponds with the document presented.

This is commonly required for banking, KYC, AML, corporate and legal purposes.

Notarised US Passport Copy

A Notary Public carries out the certification.

Some organisations, particularly overseas authorities, specifically require notarisation rather than solicitor certification.

If the recipient requests a notarised passport copy, ordinary solicitor certification may not be sufficient.

Apostille

An apostille is a separate legalisation procedure.

Where appropriate, it authenticates the signature or professional capacity of the UK professional whose signature appears on the certified document.

If the recipient requires an apostille, please tell us before certification so that the appropriate certification and legalisation route can be considered.

What We Need for USA-AO-05001 US Passport Certification

For a typical remote application, we may request the following.

Clear Passport Copy

Send a clear colour scan or high-quality photograph of the passport identity page.

Short Video

Show your face together with the original physical U.S. passport.

Passport Biodata Card

Clearly show the original integrated biodata card and passport photograph.

Passport Cover

Show the original blue passport cover.

Tilt and Move the Passport

Slowly move and tilt the passport under the light as requested so that relevant optically variable features can be observed.

Selected Internal Pages

Show selected internal pages and turn through portions of the passport where requested.

NFC Passport Scan

Where appropriate, scan the passport using a compatible NFC-enabled passport-reading application and provide or demonstrate the results.

Additional Evidence

The solicitor may request further information or evidence if any aspect of the passport or verification requires clarification.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is USA-AO-05001?

USA-AO-05001 is a document reference for a modern ordinary passport issued by the United States of America.

Its physical characteristics correspond with the U.S. Next Generation Passport design.

Is USA-AO-05001 a Next Generation US Passport?

The document characteristics recorded for USA-AO-05001 correspond with the U.S. Next Generation Passport, including an integrated durable identity page and advanced optical security features.

The U.S. Department of State states that it began issuing Next Generation Passport books in 2021.

Can a UK solicitor certify a US passport?

Yes.

A UK solicitor can certify a copy of a U.S. passport where the receiving organisation accepts solicitor certification and the solicitor is satisfied with the verification process.

Can you certify USA-AO-05001?

Yes.

We can assess a USA-AO-05001 U.S. passport for remote UK solicitor certification.

Can I get my US passport certified online?

In suitable cases, yes.

Our remote process can use passport images, video inspection of the original physical passport and electronic passport information where appropriate.

Do I need to visit a solicitor’s office?

Usually not for a suitable remote case.

The verification can normally be completed remotely.

Do I need to send my original passport by post?

Usually not.

Instead, we can ask you to demonstrate possession of the original physical passport through video.

Does a modern US passport contain an electronic chip?

Yes.

Modern U.S. passport books are electronic passports, and most U.S. passports issued since 2021 contain an electronic chip.

Can a US passport be checked using NFC?

Where the passport and passport-reading application are compatible, an NFC-enabled smartphone may be used to read information from the electronic passport chip.

The precise information and authentication results available depend on the passport and application being used.

Why do you request an NFC passport scan?

An NFC scan can provide an additional electronic source of passport information.

It allows electronic passport data to be compared with the printed document and other identity evidence.

Is NFC passport verification the same as certification?

No.

NFC verification provides supporting evidence.

The solicitor makes the final professional decision about whether the passport copy can properly be certified.

Why do you ask me to tilt the passport?

The USA-AO-05001 contains several optically variable security devices.

Their appearance changes depending on the viewing angle.

Moving the original document can therefore reveal characteristics that cannot be demonstrated by a static passport scan.

Why do you ask me to show internal passport pages?

Security features appear throughout the passport booklet rather than only on the biodata card.

Showing selected pages also helps demonstrate possession of the complete original passport.

Can you provide same-day US passport certification?

Yes.

We provide an express same-day U.S. passport certification service, subject to successful verification and receipt of all required evidence.

Can the certified copy be emailed to me?

Where the receiving organisation accepts an electronic copy, a scan of the completed certified document can normally be provided electronically.

If the recipient requires the original wet-ink certified document, a physical copy may also be required.

Can I use a UK solicitor-certified US passport overseas?

Possibly.

Some overseas organisations accept UK solicitor certification, while others require notarisation, an apostille or further legalisation.

Always check the receiving organisation’s requirements.

Is solicitor certification the same as notarisation?

No.

A solicitor and a Notary Public perform different professional functions.

Where a recipient specifically requires notarisation, solicitor certification may not satisfy that requirement.

Express US Passport Certification by UK Solicitor

Ginkgo Advisory provides a fast remote service for customers who require a US passport certified copy.

Our service can include:

• certified copy of U.S. passport;
• USA-AO-05001 passport certification;
• U.S. Next Generation Passport certification;
• American passport certification;
• U.S. e-passport verification;
• UK solicitor-certified U.S. passport;
• remote U.S. passport certification;
• same-day U.S. passport certification;
• video passport verification;
• electronic passport verification;
• NFC passport chip checks;
• MRZ comparison;
• original passport inspection;
• U.S. passport identity verification;
• certified U.S. passport for KYC;
• certified U.S. passport for AML;
• certified U.S. passport for banks;
• certified U.S. passport for company purposes; and
• U.S. passport certification for UK or overseas use.

If you need a US passport certified copy, send us a clear colour copy of your passport biodata page and tell us who requires the certification, the destination country and the intended purpose.

We can then confirm the appropriate verification and certification process.