Characteristics of an Official Record 

An official record or file is a complete, true, unaltered and accurate record when it is the original file.  
Official records:
  • May or may not bear an original signature.
  • Originates or is retained at one or more Office(s) of Primary Responsibility for the operation or function of the record.
  • Was originally a convenience, information, or other non-record to which significant annotations or added signatures have been made.
  • Was originally a convenience or information copy but has been retained past the destruction of the original record becoming by default the record.
  • When in doubt about the status of a record, it is safest to handle it as an official record.