Article 27 of Law 39/2015, of 1 October, on the common administrative procedure of public administrations (LPACAP) establishes the conditions for the validity and effectiveness of copies of documents issued by public administrations . Specifically, these must conform to the provisions of the National Security Scheme, the National Interoperability Scheme, the Technical Standards for Interoperability and the rules provided for in article 27.3.

The requirements for the copies are summarized below depending on the source format of the original document, paying special attention to the rule in section 27.3.d), which has a wording that is more difficult to understand.

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(*) For the issuance of an authentic paper copy of an original paper it is necessary:

  1. Make a true copy of the original paper in terms of rule 27.1.b, that is, the conversion, by digitization, of the original paper to true electronic copy, with indication of the metadata "copy" visible in the document
  2. Once the authentic electronic copy has been generated, the delivery to the person requesting it can be made:
  • Making a hard copy of the electronic document that has been generated, in accordance with rule 27.1.c (the copy condition and CSV code must be included).
  • Through the electronic publication of an authentic copy in this format (in the citizen folder, for example).

These documents must be verified at the electronic headquarters of the Administration that issues the copy using the verification system used (e.g. CSV).

Legal context

Law 39/2015:

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

"2. Copies made, in whatever medium, by the competent bodies of public administrations in which the identity of the body that made the copy is guaranteed, are considered authentic copies of a public administrative or private document and their contents 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 attests to 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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