What does it mean when a check is certified?

When a check is certified, it means that the bank has verified that the funds are available in the account. This certification ensures that when the check is presented for payment, the bank will honor it, making the funds guaranteed to be available. This can provide extra security for the person or business receiving the check, as they can be confident that the money is already set aside and cannot be withdrawn by the account holder.

The other options do not accurately describe what a certified check entails. Although certified checks do have certain benefits, such as being recognized for their legitimacy, they do not inherently have no expiration date, nor are they specifically geared towards international transactions, nor can they be defined as being valid for a limited time period.