Broadly, the act of proving that something (e.g. a document) is true or genuine.
FCh website, Factsheet for the certification of documents by the Federal Chancellery (6.3.2019).
As solicitors, we are often asked to certify that a photocopy of an original document is a true copy of the original.
‘Certification’ and ‘certify’ are often used by UK lawyers (solicitors) in the sense of authentication above. However, ‘certification’ and ‘certify’ on their own are not always clear. It is best to use ‘certify’ in combination with terms such as ‘authenticity’ or ‘genuine’, e.g. ‘certify the authenticity of a document’ or ‘certify that a document is genuine’.
Based on Black’s Law Dictionary, West Group, 1999, p. 127 (6.3.2019).