Any recorded medium that documents official actions, decisions, policies, or communications of a government body can be considered an official record, regardless of whether it’s paper or electronic. Common examples include emails, electronic documents, paper files, images, audio, and other machine- readable formats, as long as they are created or received in the course of official business and retained as evidence of that activity.

What “official record” means

An official record is any information, in any format , that is made or received by an organization (like a government agency) and kept as evidence of its activities, decisions, or policies. This definition explicitly covers both traditional paper records and a wide range of electronic records.

Formats that may be official records

Typical formats that may be treated as official records when used for government or organizational business include:

  • Paper documents (letters, forms, reports, signed contracts).
  • Electronic documents (word processing files, PDFs, spreadsheets, databases).
  • Email messages and their attachments.
  • Images and scanned documents (photographs, scanned contracts, ID images).
  • Audio and video recordings of official meetings, hearings, or briefings.
  • Machine-readable and digital media such as magnetic tapes, disks, microfilm, and similar storage.

What does not count

Some materials are usually not considered official records even if they exist in the same formats:

  • Extra copies kept only for convenience or reference.
  • Drafts or working notes not needed as evidence of decisions or policies.
  • Materials kept purely for exhibition or personal reference that do not document official actions.

Key principle to apply

When deciding whether a format “may be considered” an official record, focus less on the technical format and more on the role the item plays in documenting official activity. If it provides evidence of decisions, actions, rights, obligations, or policy, that format can qualify as an official record.