Keep control of original documents by confirming whether the recipient wants an original, ordinary copy or certified copy. Record who holds each original and how it will be returned.
What the official guidance establishes
GOV.UK advises checking the receiving organisation’s rules because it may specify who can certify a copy. Its example certification process involves seeing both the original and the copy. Read GOV.UK: certifying a document and translation for the original scope and current instructions.
Classify every requested item
Create separate columns for the requested format and the version you hold. Copy the recipient’s exact instruction. If a portal asks for an upload but later instructions mention an original, treat those as two stages needing clarification rather than choosing one and discarding the other.
Prepare the certification enquiry
Give the proposed certifier the recipient’s wording and ask whether it can provide that service. Confirm what must be presented and how every relevant page will be identified. Do not assume a professionally stamped copy is accepted for every immigration route.
Use an original-document custody log
Before sending or handing over an original, record the recipient, date, purpose, receipt and expected return arrangement. Keep a private scan separately. If several institutions need the same record, plan the handovers so its location remains clear.
Your working sheet
This is an optional IMMIGEUROPE planning worksheet, not an official application form or a new document requirement.
| Record | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Requested item | Exact format: original, copy or certified copy |
| Certification | Accepted certifier and wording |
| Original holder | Person or organisation currently holding it |
| Return record | Receipt, tracking and return arrangement |
Worked planning example
A fictional applicant needs a qualification for both a school review and a later appointment. Their custody log shows the school still holds the original. They clarify return arrangements before promising to bring it elsewhere on a conflicting date.
A document manifest should make the location of the original obvious at any point. Keep the next action in the moving planner and use the guide library for the next part of your move.