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original document

An original document is a document in the form in which it was first created or issued, rather than a copy or reproduction.

In plain English

It means the actual document as it was first made or officially issued. It is the first version itself, not a copied or reproduced one.

In context

Here, the service is asking for the first-created or first-issued version of the document, not a copy or reproduction.

Situation
Navigating benefits and public-service applications, evidence requests, and decision status
What it communicates
states that the service is asking for the original version of a document.

Meaning limits

The term itself identifies only the document's form, not any decision about whether it is adequate or how it will be used.

Examples

“She locked the original document in a drawer and mailed a copy instead.”

Core meaning

“For registration, please bring the original document, not a scanned printout.”

In context