How to properly certify a copy of a work record book for an unemployed person - sample

An important document confirming a person’s professional activity is a work book. According to existing legislation, it is created by the employer upon initial application and employment at the enterprise, and is stored in the personnel department until dismissal. It is this document, together with SNILS, that is the basis for the calculation of pension payments by the state upon reaching a certain age. How a work book sample is drawn up with the inscription “Currently working” will be discussed in more detail in this article.

Methods for making a copy

The options for document formatting differ and depend on whether the person is working or not.

If it doesn't work

If it is necessary to receive benefits, a pension or disability, a non-working person with a work permit in hand must make a photocopy of the pages and contact a notary for certification. The organization where the copy will be provided should clarify whether all pages are required or just the first and last. The reason for the clarification is that if you need to know completely all the stages of employment and dismissal, then all pages are needed, but if you just verify the status at a specific moment, then the first and last page is enough. The copy is made on only one side of the sheet, as evidenced by Decree PVS No. 9779-X. The notary must staple all the sheets, stitch them and put a stamp that the copy is correct, indicate his details and personal signature. This service is paid, so check its cost.

If it works

Depending on the size of the enterprise, the steps to obtain a copy of the work record book will be slightly different. If a citizen works in a small commercial company, then it is enough to verbally contact the manager or chief accountant and ask for a copy of the document in accordance with the Labor Code, Art. 62, making sure to explain the reason. In large companies, the main production or departments are often located in different premises far from each other. The application is written in any form on A4 sheet (some organizations may use special forms). In the right corner, as usual, is the name of the enterprise and the head of the enterprise. Then indicate from whom, that is, information about yourself and your contact phone number.

Next, the document is drawn up as a regular statement indicating the reason. It is advisable to attach to your application a photocopy of a certificate or request confirming that you really need a copy of the book. The document must be endorsed. It is then transferred to the HR department.

The issue is resolved within two to three days.

How to properly certify a copy of a work record book (sample)

In the relationship between an employer and a citizen when the latter performs his official duties, the order in which the necessary documents are prepared is of significant importance. A special place among them is given to the work book. The responsibility for maintaining it rests entirely with the employer. And it is he who, after receiving the employee’s request, must issue a certified copy of such a document. Fulfilling this requirement may be difficult, since a sample of the correct certification of a copy of a work record book by the provisions of the labor legislation of Russia has not been approved or developed.

Registration of labor relations

The main document regulating the relationship between employee and employer is the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

According to Article 56 of the Labor Code of Russia, the mutual obligations of the employee and the employer are fixed in the employment contract. From the moment the said agreement is concluded, its parties have rights and obligations, a general list of which is given in Articles 21 and 22 of the Labor Code of Russia.

In addition to fulfilling the obligations listed in the above-mentioned articles of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, the employer must maintain work books for its employees. Entries in them, as follows from the content of Article 66 of the Code, must be made after five working days from the date the relevant individual begins to perform official duties.

The Government of the Russian Federation, by its Resolution No. 225 dated April 16, 2003, approved the Rules for maintaining and storing work books, producing work book forms and providing them to employers. These regulations are mandatory for use by employees, as well as organizations and individual entrepreneurs.

In accordance with paragraph 7 of the Rules, each employee may request from his employer a certified copy of the work record book. The same norm establishes the latter’s obligation to satisfy the specified request of an individual within three working days. However, the said act of rulemaking does not contain a sample copy of the work record book certified by the employer.

It should be noted that Article 62 of the Labor Code of Russia provides for a similar right of an employee to receive copies of documents related to the performance of his official duties. The specified individual may request a duly certified extract from the work record book.

It is noteworthy that the provisions of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation also do not answer the question of how to certify a copy of a work record book. The Code also does not contain a sample format for such a document.

Certification of a copy of the work record book

Currently, GOST R 6.30-2003 is used in Russia. State standard of the Russian Federation. Unified documentation systems. Unified system of organizational and administrative documentation. Documentation requirements." This regulatory act was approved by Decree of the State Standard of the Russian Federation dated 03.03.2003 N 65-st.

Clause 3.26 of GOST contains a sample certification of a copy of a work book. The same norm specifies all the details necessary for proper registration of compliance of a copy of a document with its original:

• O;
• position of the employee who performed the certification;
• his personal signature and its transcript;
• date of certification of the copy;
• affixing a seal imprint.

A similar procedure is enshrined in the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces dated 08/04/1983 N 9779-X, from which you can also find out how a copy of the work book should be certified.

An important addition introduced by the said Decree is that when certifying a copy of a document, it is necessary to affix the organization’s seal.

Making a copy of the work book

In most cases, issuing a copy of the work book in the manner prescribed by Russian regulations is sufficient. However, for specific situations the design algorithm may be slightly different.

For example, in order to answer the question of how to certify a work book for a loan, you must be guided by the requirements of a particular bank, since there is no regulatory procedure for such registration.

Having analyzed such requirements, it can be noted that for most banks, a copy of the work book must contain both general details and a note that the employee continues to work in the organization to the present day.

A condition for the correct certification of a work book is the need to put marks on each sheet regarding the correspondence of the copy to the original. As practice shows, it is impossible to stitch such a document by certifying only the stitching.

This requirement is mandatory for cases of issuing copies of work records. For most other documents, it is permissible to use certification not for each sheet, but only for the stitching.

Why do you need a certified copy of the work record?

The list of cases when an employee may need a copy of his work record is quite wide. It is not limited to just obtaining a loan.

For example, a copy of the work book may be required when a Russian citizen receives a foreign passport. Order of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs dated March 29, 2016 N 4270 does not contain a mandatory requirement to provide a copy of the work record book. However, information about the work of an individual must be indicated in the appropriate field of the application in accordance with the data set out in the work book. For this purpose, you should request a certified copy from your employer.

Also, some consular offices of foreign countries, as part of the package of documents required to obtain a visa, may require a copy of the book to be provided to them. Each country independently develops such a list.

All employees are recommended to have a certified copy of their work record book. This document will be useful, for example, if its original is lost or damaged. An example of certification of a copy of a work record book for this case is indicated in paragraph 3.26 of GOST, given above.

In addition to the cases mentioned above, a copy of the work record may be required to compile a resume and provide it for review by a future employer.

An employee may need a certified copy of this book if he guarantees a loan from a third party. A sample of an employer’s certification of a work book for a bank (regardless of the purpose of its provision) can be downloaded from this link. Such authentication can also be used to provide it to other organizations.

It should be emphasized that the list of cases when an employee may require a copy of the work record is not established by law and is not exhaustive. It is subject to adjustment taking into account life circumstances and different goals.

Where can I get my work book certified if I don’t work?

If certain events occur, a copy of the work record may also be required from a non-working citizen. In this case, the employer will not be able to certify it.

For a non-working citizen, a notary can certify a copy of his work record book. By virtue of Article 77 of the Fundamentals of Russian Legislation on Notaries, it is he who is endowed with the right to testify that a copy of a document is faithful to its original. In this case, only the fact of correspondence between the original and its copy is verified. The notary does not check its contents.

It should be remembered that the notary provides his services on a reimbursable basis. The employer is obliged to certify a copy of the work record book absolutely free of charge.

What does a sample work book look like with the inscription “Currently working”?

After the application is signed by management, the HR manager takes a photocopy of each page in accordance with Decree PVS No. 9779-X, affixes the organization’s seal, the date and his last name, initials and signature on it. On the last page, the treasured phrase “Works to date” is placed, and then the seal and signature of the person in charge. In addition, it is necessary to have a seal that the copy is correct with the signature of the same HR employee. Here are a few options for what the last page of a work document might look like. Depending on the equipment of the enterprise with office equipment, the document can be filled out on a computer or manually.

Important! A copy of the document is certified only by the head of the company, employee or HR manager, or in rare cases the chief accountant (if there is no HR department).

How to certify a copy of a work record in 2020

A copy of the work book: deadline and procedure for issuing

Art. 62 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation says that the employer must give the employee documents (copies) related to work within three working days from the date of receipt of the relevant application from him. Copies must be properly certified and provided to the employee free of charge. This also applies to copies of work books (see also clause 7 of the Rules for maintaining and storing work books, producing work record forms and providing them to employers, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of April 16, 2003 No. 225).

If an employer delays issuing documents or refuses to issue documents at all, he is violating labor laws. And for this art. 5.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation provides for liability. For a primary violation it will be:

• for an official - a warning or a fine of 1000–5000 rubles;

organizations - fine 30,000–50,000 rubles;

• Individual entrepreneur - fine 1000–5000 rubles.

If the violation is repeated, the amounts will increase:

• for an official - a fine of 10,000–20,000 rubles. or disqualification for a period of one to three years;
• organizations - fine 50,000–70,000 rubles;
• Individual entrepreneur - fine 10,000–20,000 rubles.

A certified copy of the work book according to the new GOST

So what does this mean in Art. 62 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation “copies must be properly certified”? Let's talk.

A copy is a copy of a document that completely reproduces the information in the original. And a certified copy is a copy on which, in accordance with the established procedure, details are affixed that ensure its legal significance (subclause 23, 25, clause 3.1 of GOST R 7.0.8-2013, approved by order of Rosstandart dated October 17, 2013 No. 1185-st ).

This means that you need to make a copy of each completed page of the work and affix certification notes. From July 1, 2018, the procedure for preparing such inscriptions, including on copies of work books, is established by the new national standard “System of standards for information, library and publishing. Organizational and administrative documentation. Requirements for the preparation of documents" (GOST R 7.0.97-2016, approved by order of Rosstandart dated December 8, 2016 No. 2004-st, as amended on May 14, 2018). According to this standard, the correct certification when issuing a copy of a document for submission to another organization should look like this (it can be handwritten, or it can be in the form of a stamp):

The original document is located in XXX LLC in file No. X for the XXXXX year.

Position Signature Explanation

But for a copy of the work book there will be three additional nuances:

1. This is a multi-page copy. Therefore, a certification must be written on each page.
2. On the last page you must write “Working to date” and indicate the date the copy was issued. How to make this inscription correctly, see our example.
3. The original work record book is not stored in the file, but, as a rule, in the employer’s safe, so it will not be possible to indicate the case number. This is not scary - the record of where the original is stored can be modified. For example, like this: “The original document is in the safe of the personnel department of XXX LLC.”

How long is a copy of a work book valid?

The law does not regulate the expiration date of copies of documents. However, you need to keep in mind that a copy of a work book can strictly correspond to the original only at the time of its registration. This is a document that can be supplemented with a new entry at any time (about translation, for example). And then the copy will no longer be relevant. If by this time the employee’s need for a copy has not yet been satisfied, a new option will have to be made.

In addition, the validity period of a copy of the work book can be set by the organization to which it will be submitted. For example, banks take copies no older than one month for loans.

A sample extract from the work record book can be found here.

The nuances of obtaining a copy

There are some deviations in obtaining a copy of the document for various positions and non-working personnel:

• for the head of a company that is part of the corporation - certified by the personnel department of a higher division, that is, an employee of the main office;
• if a woman is on maternity leave, the document is drawn up by a HR employee or manager, that is, all the rules are the same as for regular personnel;
• for a pension fund - a copy of the work report must be made of all pages, the necessary stamps are placed and all sheets are stitched together with white thread.

The phrase that the employee “is currently working” is indicated on the last page. It is advisable to write in what position. In case of transfer to another position, it is necessary to make an entry in the employment record indicating the Order on the basis of which the transfer was made. You can see how it looks in the picture.

On the last page, the employee’s signature and the date of receipt of the document are additionally placed, subject to proper execution and consent. In the event of dismissal, the work book ends up in the hands of the employee, so a copy of it can only be made through a notary.

How a copy of a work book is certified: procedure according to GOST and common mistakes

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.

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.

1. You need to scan (print) all completed sheets, starting with the title page.
2. 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.
3. The text after printing should be clear and easy to read.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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. behind . 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.
8. According to GOST, the employer can use a special stamp to mark the certification of a copy of the work book.

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

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.

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.

How long does a copy last?

At the legislative level, it is not stated anywhere during what period it is possible to present a copy of the work record book certified by the employer or a notary. But credit institutions, Pension Funds and other organizations may have certain requirements. Typically, the “expiration date” of the document is no more than 30 days. When applying for large sums, they may require a copy prepared within 3–14 days.

Please note that if a new entry appears in the work book, then the copied copy made earlier is no longer considered valid. It needs to be redone.

If you need a full copy of the document

The copy must have an aesthetic appearance and the safety of all sheets. To do this, stitch it along the right side. Through three or four holes, the tails are brought out to the underside without cutting them. The tails are sealed with a strip of paper, on which a stamp is placed indicating the date, overlapping the main sheet and the pasted strip.

When preparing documents it is unacceptable:

• scanning;
• change the page scale;
• make notes and corrections (if changes are made to the page, they must be certified by the company’s management);
• the presence of a fuzzy image with dirt and marks;
• for PF is valid for a month;
• the copy must fully correspond to the original; from the moment changes are made to the main document, the copy ceases to be valid.

As a rule, the validity period of a copy is not regulated by law. However, banks limit themselves to two weeks, and the Pension Fund – to one month. If the deadline was missed for good reasons, then the citizen has the right to order a new document or certify the old one, issued in person, with a new seal and a responsible person. Most often, problems arise with banks, as credit institutions want to receive a money back guarantee and minimize risks.

Registration at work

Employees have the right to receive a copy of the employment document upon application without further explanation. Procedure for submitting a request:

• an application is drawn up in free form addressed to the manager or employee responsible for storing personnel documentation;
• the application indicates the full name and position of the employee, the request itself is to provide a copy of the original work record book, certified by the employer, date and signature;
• the employee who accepted the application is obliged to prepare the required paperwork for the employee three days in advance - this is the maximum period allowed;
• The owner of the work is not obliged to pay for the photocopy itself.

Electronic work book – what is it?

First of all, it will be a convenient database for providing basic information. The operation is based on a user-friendly interface and quick search for the right employee. Opportunity for specialists of the Pension Fund and social services to obtain important information. During initial employment, a person is added to the database, and subsequent employers only make their own adjustments, adding a new position and changing the employee’s place of work.

Electronic work book: pros and cons of the document

The issue of switching from paper work books to an electronic version has been discussed for many years, and at the beginning of 2020 a bill was created for such changes. It will not be possible to switch to the new book format instantly, so it is planned to develop regulatory documents by the end of the year. Today, a unanimous decision has not yet been made whether there will be a gradual transition from one type to another, or whether both options will remain valid. Opinions are divided and no consensus has yet been reached. The electronic format has a number of advantages:

• the document will be easily recoverable;
• It is believed that with modern technologies and the degree of protection it is impossible to lose it;
• the electronic format of the document will allow you to control payments to the Pension Fund;
• simplification of the document flow system and systematization of all indicators.

The advantage of the electronic format will be the fact that the information will be available to company management and HR managers, banks and other organizations where copies of this document often have to be provided. The disadvantages are still being debated, but you should think about ways to backup data in case of DDOS attacks or server hacking. But we can definitely conclude that access and work with such a database will be much more convenient, and the human factor is eliminated.

In what cases will a copy of the book be invalid?

When applying for social benefits or issuing a loan from a bank, the party accepting documents from the applicant most often makes claims based on the condition of the copy of the work report. You need to immediately find out how to certify a copy of a work record book so that there are no unpleasant surprises:

• all seals should cover part of the text, and not be located to the side;
• there should be no extraneous signatures or notes in the document;
• In order to correctly certify the received document, you need to familiarize yourself with the requirements of the requested party (sometimes all pages are needed).

There are two forms for submitting a certified copy - a separate photocopy on a sheet or bound pages. In the second case, photocopies are folded like a regular book and hemmed with white thread. On the last sheet there is a stamp stating that the document is certified, the seal of the organization, the signature and transcript of the employee responsible for this.

Certification procedure

The procedure for certifying a work record generally depends on how large the company you work for is.

In some cases, the process is carried out within a few minutes by the immediate director or employer. However, if the organization is large, the employee will need to initially write an application asking for the work record to be certified.

After a few days, the procedure will be completed when the HR employee gives the recipient a copy. Check if everything is done correctly.

A completely different situation concerns citizens who have retired or are temporarily unemployed. They can certify their employment in two ways:

• by contacting the HR department of the last place of employment;
• at the notary.

The second option involves providing services for a fee. The notary will independently make copies, affix dates and necessary signatures. This method is considered the most preferable.

Another option is to contact the accounting or human resources department of the company where you recently worked. They will also be able to certify a copy of the work record book if the notary is not able to do this.

Please note that in none of these cases the entry “currently in operation” can be made. Moreover, when applying for the last place of work, a note will be made in the copy of the book about the reason why the citizen is no longer working.

How to make a recording and its sample

So, this entry can only be made if the citizen actually works officially. In this case, it is necessary to make a copy of the document, because the employer will not be able to issue a work book.

The copy is made in any of two ways:

• manually;
• through a copy machine.

The second method is much preferable. Progress today has reached even the outback, so manual copying is almost never used.

In order for the HR department to certify the copy and make the appropriate entry, you will first need to make high-quality copies of all pages of the employee’s work book.

Each page is manually marked with “Copy is correct”, sometimes these two words are replaced by one – “Correct”. This entry can be affixed in the form of a stamp, which is not prohibited by law.

The position of the employee responsible for copying and certification, full last name, middle name and signature are also included. There must also be a stamp there. At the bottom, enter the date that corresponds to the day of certification.

An important detail: if the organization has an internal HR department seal, it is enough to put it on each sheet.

As soon as the signatures and seals of the organization in which the employee works are affixed to each sheet, all pages are stitched together in order. This procedure is mandatory, because the book itself is also sewn in a certain order.

There is no need to make copies or certify pages that do not contain information. The title page must be certified.

Having stitched the sheets, they are checked and numbered. Now you can certify the entire stack. To do this, a stamp is placed in the place where the document was stitched, a signature and date are placed.

And only now can you make the entry “working at the present time.” It is entered only in a copy by hand and does not fit into the original work book. It is advisable to indicate in what position.

The entry is made into the following empty line as follows:

• a serial number is given;
• Date of entry;
• below indicates the position, surname and initials of the responsible employee;
• signed and sealed.

All words and signature must be legible. Blots, corrections, or complete concealment of the signature under the seal are not allowed. The name of the document on the basis of which the entry is made does not fit into the corresponding column. You need to leave an empty space here.

Below is a sample entry “currently working” in a work book so that an employee without the proper experience can quickly navigate the method of document certification.