Are faxes/scanned emailed documents now as valid as an original copy ? I ask because I am currently working abroad and find most UK companies accept emails, scanned documents, faxes etc to process my requests.

One however is adamant that an original is needed. There was a time limit on the request so I scanned a document and emailed it. They are adamant that the original is needed but the scanned document is sufficient to satisfy the time limit.

Does anyone have any similar experiences around this area.

Thanks.

It depends on what it is for, I suppose. A fax / scan of, e.g, a birth certificate can easily be doctored. The more official something is, then the more likely it is, I presume, that an original would be needed. Where it is just to convey something, e.g, a sample of your signature, than I see no difference in whether it should be a fax or original.

On saying that I have applied for a couple of jobs that require enhanced CRB checks and all of it has been done via email - not one piece of original documentation asked for (yet!).

I suppose it is one of those cases where reasonableness is shadowed by officialdom.

Are faxes/scanned emailed documents now as valid as an original copy ? I ask because I am currently working abroad and find most UK companies accept emails, scanned documents, faxes etc to process my requests.

 

One however is adamant that an original is needed. There was a time limit on the request so I scanned a document and emailed it. They are adamant that the original is needed but the scanned document is sufficient to satisfy the time limit.

 

Does anyone have any similar experiences around this area.

 

Thanks.

I rarely agree to give my original documents. What I try to do is go to a Solicitor and get them to photocopy the original and mark it as a certified copy. They are obliged to accept this, as it as good as the original. As you are abroad they may insist on a Notary as the laws vary in different countries, but that's what I'd try and do.

Thanks for the replies. The document isn't a piece of identification, perhaps the use of the word document suggested otherwise.

It is just an instruction to a company I have a relationship with. They know my signature and the scanned form sent to them is sufficient to meet a time limit for a transaction but they want the original signed letter/form before actually completing the transaction.

I suppose they are just trying to protect themselves - maybe better to seek new suppliers / relations?