Although Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the common administrative procedure of public administrations (LPACAP) does not expressly indicate this, from the reading of article 27 it can be inferred that within the framework of the LPACAP no it makes sense to talk about certified copies, since all copies in whatever format are authentic copies and therefore have the same validity and effectiveness as the original documents, in accordance with article 27.2.

In all cases of authentic copies (regardless of the medium in which they are produced) both the identity of the body that made it and its content will be guaranteed.

Legal context

Law 39/2015

Article 27

" [...] 2. Copies made, on whatever support, by the competent bodies of the public administrations in which the identity of the body is guaranteed, are considered authentic copies of a public administrative or private document has made the copy and its content.

True copies have the same validity and effectiveness as the original documents.

3. To guarantee the identity and content of electronic or paper copies, and therefore their character as authentic copies, public administrations must comply with the provisions of the National Interoperability Scheme, the Scheme National Security and its technical development rules, as well as the following rules:


a) Electronic copies of an original electronic document or an authentic electronic copy, with or without a format change, must include the metadata that proves its copy status and that can be viewed when consulting the document.


b) Electronic copies of documents on paper or in another non-electronic medium that can be digitized require that the document has been digitized, and must include the metadata that proves its copy status and that can be viewed when consulting the document .

Digitization is understood as the technological process that makes it possible to convert a document on paper or another non-electronic medium into an electronic file that contains the coded, faithful and complete image of the document.

c) Paper copies of electronic documents require the condition of being a copy, and must contain an electronically generated code or other verification system that allows the authenticity of the copy to be verified through access to the electronic files of the issuing public body or body.

d) Paper copies of original documents issued in said medium must be provided by means of an authentic paper copy of the electronic document held by the Administration, or by means of an electronic manifest containing a copy authentic of the original document.

For these purposes, the administrations must make public, through the corresponding electronic headquarters, the secure verification codes or any other verification system used .

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