Ohio Civ.R. 44

(A) Authentication

(1) Domestic

An official record, or an entry therein, kept within a state or within the United States

or within a territory or other jurisdiction of the United States, when admissible for

any purpose, may be evidenced by an official publication thereof or by a copy

attested by the officer having the legal custody of the record, or by his deputy, and

accompanied by a certificate that such officer has the custody. The certificate may

be made by a judge of a court of record in which the record is kept or may be made

by an y public officer having a seal of office and having official duties in the

political subdivision in which the record is kept, authenticated by the seal of his

office.

(2) Foreign

A foreign official record, or an entry therein, when admissible for any purpose, may

be evidenced by an official publication thereof; or a copy thereof, attested by a

person authorized to make the attestation, and accompanied by a final certification

as to the genuineness of the signature and official position (a) of the attesting person

or (b) of any foreign official whose certificate of genuineness of signature and

official position relates to the attestation or is in a chain of certificates of

genuineness of signature and official position relating to the attestation. A final

certification may be made by a secretary of embassy or legation, consul general,

consul, vice consul, or consular agent of the United States, or a diplomatic or

consular official of the foreign country assigned or accredited to the United States.

If reasonable opportunity has been given to all parties to investigate the authenticity

and accuracy of the documents, the court may, for good cause shown, (a) admit an

attested copy without final certification or (b) permit the foreign official record to

be evidenced by an attested summary with or without a final certification.

(B) Lack of record

A written statement that after diligent search no record or entry of a specified tenor is found

to exist in the records designated by the statement, authenticated as provided in subdivision

(A)(1) of this rule in the case of a domestic record, or complying with the requirements of

subdivision (A)(2) of this rule for a summary in the case of a foreign record, is admissible

as evidence that the records contain no such record or entry.

(C) Other proof

This rule does not prevent the proof of official records or of entry or lack of entry therein

by any other method authorized by law.