You can submit copies of original documents if you do any of 
the following.

1. Have the copies certified by the issuing agency or official
custodian of the original record.


2. Have the copies notarized by a U.S. notary public legally
authorized within his or her local jurisdiction to certify that the
document is a true copy of the original. To do this, the notary
must see the valid, unaltered, original document and verify that 
the copy conforms to the original. Consular offices at U.S.
Embassies and Consulates overseas may not certify true 
copies of foreign public documents and will refer applicants to
the foreign authority that issued the document.

3. Have the copies notarized by a foreign notary. However,
foreign notaries are only acceptable as outlined by the Hague 
Convention. The Hague Convention provides for the simplified 
certification of public (including notarized) documents to be
used in countries that have joined the Convention. A 
certification will be issued in the form of an “apostille,” which will 
be attached to the copy of the document. If the document
originates in a country that is not party to the Convention,
applicants should have the document certified by the foreign
authority that issued it.