Sample of how to certify a copy of a work record book by an employer from July 1, 2021

The work book is one of the most important documents recording labor relations. It contains important information about the professional “baggage” of a working citizen, well-deserved rewards, as well as the reasons for his dismissal from previous positions. The responsibility for filling it out lies with the employer, and this document is stored in the personnel service, with the possibility of handing it over only to dismissed employees.

Meanwhile, there are often situations when a person needs a copy of the specified book to be submitted to one or another authority. How to get it if the book is not with you, but with your employer? In addition, a simple copy will be invalid; it must be certified in a certain way.

Let's consider how to correctly carry out this procedure and avoid some common mistakes so that the resulting copy is actually relevant at the place of provision.

No application - no documents

Before we talk about how a copy of the work book is certified, let us remind you that the work book itself is the property of the worker.
But it is temporarily kept by the employer so that he can enter into the document all the necessary information about the citizen’s professional activities. In order to receive a work book, an extract from it or a copy, according to Article 62 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, a person must not only ask a personnel department employee to prepare the document, he must contact his superiors in writing. Below is a sample application for a copy. Its form is not established at the legislative level, so the appeal can be drawn up arbitrarily, but taking into account the requirements for personnel documentation (to whom and from whom it is written, the reason and grounds for the appeal, date and personal signature of the applicant). The application can be drawn up by hand or using a computer, as the sample shows. In the latter case, it is important that the application be signed personally by the applicant.

Sample application for issuance of a copy of a work record book

Please note that local regulations of the company may establish another form of applying for labor. In this case, the corresponding form is issued to the employee, who fills it out according to the prescribed rules.

A very important point: the reasons for applying for a copy can be different - to obtain a loan from a bank, obtain a foreign passport, provide data on work experience to the Pension Fund, etc. But in the application, the worker is not required to answer the question why he needed it. This is not provided for by law. Therefore, if in the application forms developed at the enterprise it is required to indicate why it was necessary to certify documents related to the work, GIT inspectors may regard this as a violation of legal norms.

Personnel officers should also remember that it is necessary to consider an employee’s request for a copy of the work book or other documents within three days. And not only to consider, but also to have time to correctly prepare the requested extracts. All of them are provided free of charge. Please note that the employer cannot refuse to provide a copy; this is contrary to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

Need for a copy

An employee may need such a document in various situations. The most common ones are:

As confirmation of a person’s job availability for a credit institution when making a loan request.
To confirm the information specified in the application form, for example, to obtain certain documents.
To determine the duration of the total length of service , as well as the consistency of work in the last place. This information is often necessary for credit institutions.
To determine the reasons for dismissals from previous places . Such information may be important to a new employer if a person is trying to find additional work.
To confirm employment when applying for benefits and allowances.

Previously, a certified work record was required to obtain a foreign passport. This document is not currently required, but some departments may occasionally require it. Be aware that this is illegal, since all government agencies are required to act according to strictly established regulations, which must include a list of required documents.

Sometimes a copy of your employment record may be required when applying for a visa to enter another state. Since it is important for them to know that something connects you with your country, and you must also have a constant source of income.

Sample: how to properly certify a copy of a work record book

A copy issued at the request of the employee, in our case, is an official document. Therefore, it must meet certain requirements. Let's look at them in detail to find out how to properly certify a work record book.

You need to scan (print) all completed sheets, starting with the title page.
Each sheet must contain printed text on one side only. If the text is printed on both sides of the sheet, it may not be accepted.
The text after printing should be clear and easy to read.
The sheets must be numbered and stitched, as is done by notaries. On the back of the last sheet, you need to “seal” the ends of the thread with a paper sticker and write how many sheets have been collected.
Each page must be certified. This must be done by a person who is granted such a right by a local regulatory act of the organization or a power of attorney. Otherwise, the personnel officer is obliged to certify the papers from the general director.
According to clause 5.26 of GOST R 7.0.97-2016 “National Standard of the Russian Federation. System of standards on information, librarianship and publishing. Organizational and administrative documentation. Requirements for document preparation”, the person certifying the document writes “Correct”, then indicates his position, signs and deciphers, and puts down the date.
The certification note must be supplemented with a record of the place where the original is stored. The inscription “The original document is located in (name of organization) in file No. ... for ... year” is necessary so that the recipient of the copy is informed about the place of storage of the original - please note that the sample certification of a copy of the work book shown in the article contains such a line.
According to GOST, the employer can use a special stamp to mark the certification of a copy of the work book.
It is believed that the accuracy of the data must also be confirmed by the seal of the employing organization. However, in the Russian Federation, some companies are exempt from the obligation to have round seals, so they physically cannot affix them. But the documents certified by them will have the same force, even if there is no stamp.
Regarding the location of the “Correct” entry, the signature and date of the person certifying the duplicate, the seal. All this should capture the data being certified, but not cover or overlap it. Otherwise, the recipient will not be able to read the information and the employee will have to return.
In some cases, the employee may ask to write the phrase “Currently working.” There is no legal prohibition on this, so it is permissible to make an appropriate entry.

Please note that all of the above requirements are described in GOST, which is voluntary. Therefore, banks, Pension Funds and other organizations may have their own requirements for document certification. They should be clarified in advance.

Sample: how to certify a work book according to the current GOST

Is it necessary to certify every page of an employment contract?

But, with the entry into force of Order No. 320 of the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation in 2013, such a need no longer existed. That is, a citizen has the right not to provide a work book.

Now, to confirm your work activity, you just need to fill out the appropriate field in the application form.

For example, an employee can write in his own hand: “I have received a copy of the employment contract” (signature, date). It is undesirable to fill out this line on a computer and only require the employee to sign. Labor Code of the Russian Federation, an employment contract must be concluded in writing and drawn up in two copies, which have equal legal force.

This is important to know: You can go on maternity leave from your maternity place

Common mistakes

If the personnel officer incorrectly certifies a copy of the work record book, the employee will bring it back and everything will have to be redone. To prevent this from happening, you can print out and keep on hand a sample copy of the work book certified by the employer.

What mistakes do experts often ignore?

Due to the seal imprint, part of the text is hidden, which makes it difficult for the recipient of the document to understand the records. Place the seal correctly so that it does not interfere.
The seal itself is worn out, it is difficult to make out which organization it belongs to.
There are no signatures, position or other information and the person who certified the copy of the work book. Or this employee is not authorized to perform such actions.
Errors were made when making entries and corrections were made. Any blots are unacceptable; because of them, the document may be declared invalid and returned to the person. If an error is made during certification, the sheet must be scanned again, printed, and the correct information entered.
Not all sheets are certified. This is only permissible if all sheets of the copy are stitched, numbered and sealed.

Carefully study the sample on how to certify a copy of a work record book and remember the proposed instructions. It will be needed more than once, since the authenticity of other documents relating to the professional activities of workers is similarly confirmed.

Don't Make These Mistakes

The most common mistakes that can negate the validity of a certified duplicate or extract from a work record book:

lack of a copy of the cover page with personal data;
the presence of the o, signature, date and seal not on all pages of the copy (the absence of any of these elements is enough to lose relevance);
the bound version does not indicate the number of sheets of copy;
the seal does not capture the text of the copy, but stands on the empty field below it.

ATTENTION! The copy will become invalid one month after issuance, as well as if additional entries were made to the original during this month. The exception is a notarized copy - its validity is unlimited.

Where else can you get a certified copy of a work book?

Until now, we have considered the situation when a person works, and his work book is kept by the employer - in the personnel department or accounting department, if it deals with personnel documentation. But if a citizen is unemployed, he has a work book in his hands, and he needs a certified copy, he must contact a notary. Additionally, you need to take your passport. In a notary office you can certify a copy of a work document for a working person. To do this, he asks the employer for a document against receipt, and then returns it.

The notary copies the necessary pages (usually only completed sheets), stamps them, dates them, and signs them.

But keep in mind that a notary can only make copies of the original work book. If the employee makes copies in advance and brings them, the papers will not be accepted. Because the lawyer checks all the records before copying and only then can certify the work book. By the way, if a notary finds errors or inaccuracies in the records, he will suggest that the person first correct them with the employer, and then make a certified copy.

Notary services are always paid. It is better to check the cost at a specific notary office.

Recommendations

I advise all people who are officially employed:

Keep a certified copy of the document at home . In this case, you need to request it every time you make a new entry in the book. This way, you can check that it is filled out correctly at any time. And also in case of damage or loss, you will have a document confirming that there were such entries in the book. Then you can very quickly restore your book by receiving a duplicate of it, which will contain all the same entries that are indicated in the certified copy.
When receiving a copy in your hands, be sure to check that it is filled out correctly . Pay special attention to the common mistakes that are made when preparing such copies.

All officials are required to know how to correctly draw up such documents, so they are required to be interested in all innovations in labor legislation.

How to stitch documents correctly

Such methods, for example, may include the use of sequential numbering of sheets indicating their total number and identifying details of the document, signing each sheet by the author with the numbering of the sheets, affixing seals or stamps at the intersection of sheets of the document, affixing a continuous relief (pressure) seal through all sheets of the document etc. (clause 1.3. Methodological recommendations for certifying the accuracy of copies of documents and extracts from them). — there is a risk of substitution of sheets in the contract, and if a dispute arises in court, such discrepancies in contracts are not always interpreted in favor of the employer. The employer will still need to prove that the forgery was committed by the employee and not him.

We wrote more about document firmware in the material at the link. Forgery of a stitched contract is less likely, and the fact of forgery itself may become more obvious, because

When and how to conduct a personnel audit Maintaining personnel document flow in strict accordance with the letter of the law is necessary, since these documents are used not only by the personnel service, but also by the accounting department to calculate wages. They can be checked by the labor inspectorate and tax authorities; employees may need extracts and certificates.
Personnel audit. What documents does your company need to have? An audit of personnel records management is one of the most important components of the procedure for assessing the effectiveness of the entire personnel management system and the human resources potential of an organization or an independent procedure as part of measures to reduce the fiscal and reputational risks of the company, including when resolving labor disputes in court.

What mistakes can be made when certifying a copy?

When certifying a copy, you should be careful to avoid mistakes.

The document should not contain:

additions made in pencil or pen;
blurry text;
unclear signatures and stamp;
seals of the wrong type.

Advice! In practice, there is an option when a document is stapled, the place of fastening is sealed with a sheet of paper, and a mark is made. This type of assurance is unacceptable. The sheets are easy to unfasten and replace with others.

The employee asks the HR or accounting department for copies of documents - to issue them or not and in what form

The Labor Code stipulates that in some cases the employer is obliged to provide the employee with copies of orders for admission, transfer and dismissal, as well as some certificates, for example, about salary. At the same time, workers require not only the documents named in the code. Should the employer grant their request? What documents may an employer not issue to an employee? How to certify a copy of a document? What is the judicial practice in such disputes? You will get answers to these and some other questions by reading the article.

Requirements of banks for the work activities of clients

Banks need information about the client’s work, first of all, to confirm the veracity of the information provided by the future borrower, and also for:

determining the degree of solvency of the prospective client;
establishing his main stable source of income;
insurance for possible recovery of the loan amount at the borrower’s place of work in the event of non-repayment.

This is important to know: Application for a work book for the first time: sample 2021

When making a decision to issue a loan, the bank’s credit commission proceeds from an analysis of the likelihood of debt repayment. An important role in this is played by information about the client’s permanence in labor relations, the source of which is his work book.

Therefore, persons who often change their place of work (who have recently had many entries about employment and dismissal in their work book) cannot always be recognized as reliable clients.

The situation is the same with persons whose work books contain records of dismissal on the so-called guilty grounds provided for in Art. 81 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation (for systematic violations of labor discipline, absenteeism, appearing at work while drunk, committing theft at the place of work, etc.).

Such clients are often denied a loan, and the reasons may not be explained.

Procedure for approving a copy

The main reason for issuing copies of books is that the employer is responsible for them. They must be kept by the organization as long as the employee is employed there. The only case when the original book can be given to an employee is when it is required by Social Security. In all other situations, upon request, only a copy of the original book is issued.

An employee cannot make a copy of the document on his own, since it must be certified in the prescribed manner:

All sheets of the book that contain entries are copied . It is necessary to check not only the sheets with the place of work, but also the pages indicating the person’s awards. It is also important not to forget to photocopy the first sheet, which contains information about the owner of the document.
A record is made that the copy is correct . It can be affixed with a special stamp or simply written in text.
The seal of the organization, signature and position of the employee who certified this document are affixed. If the company does not work with a seal, it is necessary to record “Believe without a seal.” Only the employee who has the authority to do so is required to certify. They are usually vested in accounting staff, human resources departments, managers and entrepreneurs themselves.
The date of certification must be indicated. It is from this that the validity period of the issued copy will be counted.
Information is provided that the employee is still working for the company. This means that he was not fired earlier or on the last day and is on staff as of the specified date.
Since July of this year, it has become mandatory to indicate an additional entry about where the original book is kept. Here you can indicate the employee’s safe or personal file, as well as the department where this document is located.

If the copy is not formatted correctly, it will not be accepted at the destination. Therefore, every employee who has the authority to issue copies must know what requirements are established for the certification procedure. Also, upon receipt of the document, the employees themselves should check that it is correctly formatted so that they do not need to apply for it again.

A copy must be issued based on the employee’s application no later than 3 days. But in small companies you can request such a document orally. There are no strict requirements for completing such an application.