EU funds help: Communication with the State is easier. Also thanks to EU funds

The Citizen Portal was launched in 2018 under the administration of the Ministry of the Interior as a transactional part of the public administration website. In 2023, it was transferred to the Digital and Information Agency (DIA).

“The aim of the project, supported by the EU, was to create a part of the Public Administration Portal in the form of a modern personalized self-service point for accessing public administration services. It gives citizens the opportunity to submit documents or requests to selected public authorities directly. The project also includes the development of the gov.cz design system, development of the Citizen Portal mobile application and eDocuments," Ondřej Menoušek, Director of the DIA’s eGovernment Services Department describes the project.
 
HUNDREDS OF SERVICES IN ONE PLACE
There are several hundred services available in the Citizen Portal and new ones are being added. Some can be accessed directly in the interface while others through a link to websites of the relevant State institutions. A whole range of extracts can be requested for free although they were previously provided for a fee and had to be picked up in person at the authority office.

The portal opens the possibility of communicating with the State and carrying out countless actions and using services digitally, from anywhere and anytime. It eliminates the need to go to the authority office in the vast majority of cases, making it more convenient, faster and cheaper.

“The biggest benefit is the centralization and simplification of citizens’ communication with State administration. It functions as a digital point of contact that allows citizens to handle a wide range of official matters online, from the comfort of their home, without the need for personal visits to offices or queues," says Menoušek.
 
The project "Public Administration Portal 2.0 - Citizen Portal" cost CZK 77 million, the European Union support amounted to more than CZK 62 million. "In the project, it was primarily necessary to complete the full redesign of the Citizen Portal. The next steps were the development of its mobile application and of the eDocuments ecosystem interlinked with it. We also developed the public administration website entry, which represented a new navigation framework, search engine or clearer layout, and we developed the design system," Menoušek describes the project.
 
An overview of online services that can be used after logging in is available on the Citizen Portal website portalobcana.gov.cz. The portal is a personalized place for providing services to citizens. These are provided directly or indirectly, i.e. through links to the portals of other authorities, in most cases without the need for repeated login and identity verification. "In order to start using services on the portal, citizens must first prove their identity when logging in," Menoušek reminds.
 
GETTING EXTRACTS IS NOW EASY
The Citizen Portal offers the opportunity to submit documents or requests to selected public authorities. An example would be requests for extracts e.g. from criminal records, driver scores or the trades register, which are automatically processed after sending the electronic request. The interface also makes it possible to submit, for example, an application for a voter identification card, registration or deletion in a special voter list, including an application for postal voting. If you are a politically active citizen, you can create or sign an ePetition here.
 
The portal is operated by five people from DIA and other experts of the operator, which is the National Agency for Communications and Information Technologies. The portal now has over 2.1 million registered users, of which 772 thousand have their data boxes (official secured mailboxes) connected. For comparison, more than 875 thousand citizens are already registered in the eDocuments application.

Since its launch in July 2018, more than 21 million logins have been made to the Citizen Portal and over 1.2 million submissions have been sent. "The most frequent submissions are requests for a criminal record extract, a driver score extract, a non-public extract from the trades register, or an application for a voter ID. Furthermore, people can conveniently manage their data boxes, set notifications for the expiration of their documents, manage access to the eDocuments application and their data in State registers and records. For example, data in the Land Registry, registers of residents, drivers or vehicles," Menoušek adds.
 
THANKS TO EU FUNDS, PAPERWORK IS REDUCED. The new Citizen Portal is a place where you can "talk" to the State and its officials very easily. Instead of personal visits to dozens of institutions and offices, everything can be conveniently handled right here. This modern information tool was created with a contribution from EU funds. That amounted to more than CZK 62 million. The portal is intended for citizens of all ages. It is continuously tested by senior citizens to ensure that its settings are also suitable for people in this age group.
 
Photo: Deník daily +  DIA archive