Certified Documents

In order to enrol you onto our courses or programmes, we need proof of your citizenship or permanent residency for our records.

This can be provided to us as a certified copy or by bringing an original document to our Māngere campus where we can certify the document for you.

What is a certified copy?

Certified copies are photocopies that have been sighted and signed by either a:

Designated OCA staff member. You can bring the original document to our Māngere campus to be certified.
or by a Justice of the Peace;
Lawyer or equivalent.

Documents can include:

A New Zealand birth certificate.
A New Zealand passport.
A New Zealand certificate of citizenship.
A passport with a current returning residency class visa (a passport with a visa label).
A Cook Islands, Tokelau, or Niue Birth Certificate along with a current New Zealand residency visa

If you have already shown these documents to us or you have previously studied with us, we do not need these documents again. If we need to see updated documents, we will let you know after your enrolment form has been processed.

Do not send original proof of residency/citizenship documents. OCA is not responsible for loss of or damage to original proof of residency/citizenship documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need to give you documents to prove my identity?OCA Marketing2025-02-12T16:15:55+13:00

Why do I need to give you documents to prove my identity?

Some of our funding is provided by government departments including the Tertiary Education Commission, this tax-payer money is only available for domestic students.

We need to provide evidence to our funders that all our students are either New Zealand citizens or permanent residents.

Where do I find someone who can certify my documents?OCA Marketing2025-03-31T16:37:02+13:00

Where do I find someone who can certify my documents?

You can bring your documents to OCA at our Māngere campus. We can certify these on site.
Find a local Justice of the Peace (JP) and take your documents to them. Many JPs work from their homes and there will likely be one in your community.
Some JPs also work for the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) so you can also take your documents to your nearest CAB to get them certified.

What kind of documents do you need?OCA Marketing2025-02-12T16:15:07+13:00

What kind of documents do you need?

We need to see a legal document or documents that show your:

full legal name
date of birth
gender
citizenship or residency status.

For New Zealand citizens this would be one or more of the following documents:

a New Zealand birth certificate, or
a New Zealand passport, or
a New Zealand certificate of citizenship,

For New Zealand residents this would be of one or more of the following documents:

a passport with a current returning residency class visa (a passport with a visa label), or
a passport, and letter or email, confirming current returning residency class visa (label-less visa, followed by confirmation with Immigration New Zealand, where appropriate), or
a certificate of identity from Immigration New Zealand if the student is a refugee.

What is a certified copy?OCA Marketing2025-02-12T16:13:01+13:00

What is a certified copy?

A certified copy is a copy of your ID that has been authorised as a ‘true copy of an original document’ by a person listed in New Zealand’s Oaths and Declarations Act 1957.

This person could be a:

Justice of the Peace*
Lawyer
Court Official, such as a Court Registrar or Deputy Registrar
Notary Public (there may be a cost involved for this service)

*This includes online JP services.

Take your original ID to the certifier along with a clear photocopy of the original.

The certifier will sign the copy with the date and their official stamp on each page to say that the copy matches the original document that you brought to them.

What if I don’t have any identity documents?OCA Marketing2025-02-12T16:14:01+13:00

What if I don’t have any identity documents?

If you were born in New Zealand, you can order your NZ birth certificate from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) by phone, post or in person (or online if you have a RealMe account).

There is a cost involved to get a copy of your birth certificate.

If you were born outside of New Zealand and/or don’t have access to any identity documents, please contact us by email info@oca.nz or call us on 0800 622 871 and we’ll do our best to help you.

What if I am not a New Zealand citizen or resident?OCA Marketing2025-04-01T17:18:40+13:00

What if I am not a New Zealand citizen or resident?

Unfortunately only New Zealand citizens or permanent residents are able to enrol for courses and programmes at OCA.