As provided in Article 27.1 of Law 39/2015, of 1 October, on the common administrative procedure of public administrations (LPACAP), each public administration must determine the bodies that have the powers to issue authentic copies of public administrative or private documents.

Then, section 4 of the same article sets out the competencies of these employees:

  • The issuance of authentic copies of the public administrative documents validly issued by the Public Administrations, when requested by the person concerned. In this case, the official authorized to issue the authentic copies may only make them if he has been assigned this power by the body that issued the original document. Otherwise, you must send the application to the issuing body of the original document, which must send them within 15 days of receipt of the application in the electronic register of the Administration or competent body.
  • When the interested party submits paper documents to be included in an administrative file, the Administration must issue a true electronic copy.
Legal Context

Law 39/2015

Article 27. Validity and effectiveness of copies made by public administrations.

"1. Each Public Administration shall determine the bodies to which the powers to issue authentic copies of public administrative or private documents have been assigned.
Authentic copies of private documents are for administrative purposes only. Authentic copies made by one public administration are valid in other administrations.
For these purposes, the General State Administration, the Autonomous Communities and the local entities may make authentic copies by means of a qualified official or by means of an automated administrative action.
A register, or other equivalent system, must be kept up to date, containing the officials authorized to issue authentic copies, which must be fully interoperable and interconnected with those of other public administrations, for the purposes of verifying the validity of the said authorization. This register or equivalent system must include at least the officials who provide services in the registration assistance offices.
[...]
4. Interested parties may request, at any time, the issuance of authentic copies of the public administrative documents that the public administrations have validly issued. The application must be addressed to the body that issued the original document, which must be issued, except for the exceptions arising from the application of Law 19/2013, of 9 December, in the period of fifteen days from the receipt of the application in the electronic register of the Administration or competent body.
Likewise, the public administrations are obliged to issue authentic electronic copies of any paper document presented by the interested parties and which must be included in an administrative file [...]. "
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