Art. 1003 Admissibility of duplicates

If you have a copy of a document, like a photocopy or a scanned version, you can usually use it in court just like you would use the original. Courts generally treat copies and originals the same way.

But there are some situations where a copy won't be accepted. If someone raises a real doubt about whether the original document is genuine, the court may require the actual original instead of a copy. The court will also reject a copy if using it instead of the original would be unfair to one side in the case.

Finally, copies are not allowed for certain important documents. If the document is a will being submitted for probate, a contract that forms the basis of a claim or defense in the case, or another document that is central to a key issue in the case, you will need to produce the original.