In this regard, the Ministry of Justice responded as follows:

According to the provisions of Clause 5, Article 2 of Decree No. 23/2015/ND-CP dated February 16, 2015 of the Government on issuance of copies from master registers, authentication of copies from originals, authentication of signatures and certificates. When performing a contract or transaction, "original" means the papers and documents issued for the first time by a competent agency or organization, re-issued or re-issued upon re-registration; papers and documents prepared by the individual, certified and stamped by a competent agency or organization.

According to the provisions of Clause 1, Clause 2, Article 18 of Decree No. 23/2015/ND-CP, papers and documents as a basis for certifying copies from the original include:

"1. Originals of papers and documents issued by competent agencies or organizations.

2. Originals of papers and documents made by the individual, certified and stamped by a competent agency or organization.

Thus, the Marriage Extract (copy) is not the original. Therefore, the certifying authority does not authenticate the copy of the Marriage Extract (copy).