Basic public administration registers
- General information
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
General information
For the very first time in the history of the Czech republic there will be created a tool that will, as the only subject, provide relevant and unquestionable data, so-called reference data.
At the beginning it will be about 120 most important personal data, whose validity will be guaranteed by the government.
Besides the increasing efficiency of the state administration, when officials will not have to find out which data are relevant and updated, it will also led to acceleration of processing the citizen’s application.
At administrative proceedings we estimate up to 40% time saving.
From the public authorities’ point of view a bureaucratic burden will be reduced, for the applicant it is important that he will spend less time at the office desk. A citizen will save his time and nerves, the state will work more effectively.
Nowadays, each public authority tries to store as much information on citizens, companies and other entities within its jurisdiction as possible.
The problem is that the most of this data are not connected with each other, so the record of our name and where we live can be found not only in the register of inhabitants, but also in the registers of pension and health insurance, drivers´ licenses, real estate property and many other databases as well.
This principle is based on historical method of the state administration, which relied on extensive card registers used by each authority according to local and functional jurisdiction.
Nowadays, when all those data are stored in computer databases, this system has been old fashioned, inflexible and annoying for both applicants and officials.
Though some of the data are available in an electronic form, they have no legal relevance. The data written in the identity card or on certified listing are still considered to be valid , not those I can simply get from the government-led and guaranteed database. The project of the basic public administration registers is going to change the whole process.
For example, the possibility that citizen, who has recently moved several times or changed his surname, could have written different names or domiciles for each public authority will be history. Now the only valid data will be those in central registers and so-called fragmentation of data will be solved.
The role of central registers can be expressed by slogan „Only documents and not people themselves will be circulating in the authorities” The relationship between the citizens and the state will change fundamentally.
The state, represented by the official, will not have the right to demand already submitted reference data.
It will dramatically decrease the amount of situations when people are forced to go to a public office or they have anything to evidence.
Correctness of once submitted data will evidence the government through its official, not the citizen.
Basically, if somebody has already submitted some of his reference data to any public authority connected to central registers, for example change of his permanent residence, the government may not want him to provide such data again in any other public office.
The official will be obliged to find already once submitted data out in public administration registers.
Citizen or businessman, any of them will not have to repeatedly demonstrate once submitted and verified data.
Alldocumented and indisputable datawill be indiscriminately included.
Changes made in one officewill getotherauthorities whoshould haveaccesstodata fromregisters.
Generally, the launch of the system of basic public administration registers will be an important andpositivemilestonefor both theofficial andthe citizen and,by extension,the entirepublic administration.
We hope it become more „user – friendly“ for our citizens – clients.
Contemporary authoritarian concept of the state administration will be eradicated.
The official who works with information from public registers will not have to question their validity nor keep his own updated database, but now he must not delegate the obligation to demonstrate the reference data on the citizen as well.
Moreover, if the applicant asks, it will be possible to send his data from registers to institutions whose number of electronic data boxes he reports.
It would be possible on request either in one particular case or automatically when any change in his reference data is done.
It depends on what will the applicant choose, for example if he reports change of his name in any public authority, he will not have to report it again in his bank.
Protection of personal data:
The protection of citizens´ privacy and their personal data will be markedly upgraded.
The privacy will be upgraded, among other things, due to the fact that the system will handle not with the real personal identification number but only with randomly generated identifier.
Definitely, it will not be a “Big Brother“. This issue will be in charge of ÚOOÚ(The Office for Personal Data Protection).
The identification number enables not only to determine gender and date of birth of a particular citizen, but using this number a lot of sensitive personal data now stored in different interconnected databases, where they are furthermore collected under real name and surname of the person, can be find out.
With the basic public administration registers it will not be any longer possible.
Not only that data will only be able to obtain an authorized official, but a new system of identification will be set up where ÚOOÚ will be the only authority allowed to connect through anonymous identifiers particular data with a particular person.
Nobody, even the administrators of the registers without the appropriate authority, will be able to abuse the data.
A clerk will only be entitled to look into an agenda or data directly connected with the performance of the activities they are empowered to discharge.
Every citizen and his reference data will be stored under different identifier in every register and only ÚOOÚ will be allowed to connect the identifier with a particular person.
Important thing is that the applicant will not have to know or handle with any such number he only presents his identity card.
For example, a clerk responsible for agenda in the register of inhabitants is not able to find out where the particular person lives. This particular information he has to get from the register of addresses via interconnecting Information System of Basic Public Administration Registers.
The system will appraise if the clerk has an authorization to get the information. If so, it makes the data available.
If the system appraises that the clerk is going to get unauthorized data, Basic Registers´ Administration supervising the whole system of central registers will immediately inform ÚOOÚ.
In terms of birth certificate numbers, they will be valid at least until the year 2020, however the central registers will not handle with them anymore.
Technical question (ensuring of security):
Maximum attention has been paid to ensure functionality and proper security of the system.
As stated above, only the authorized official can reach the reference data. Due to the strict supervision the possibility of abusing personal data will be markedly reduced.
Nowadays, for example, when a citizen’s personal data are stored under his name and birth certificate number, it is possible for any official to reach some of the delicate data, release them and cause harm to the person.
But he will not be able to find this out in the basic registers, because it will not be clear whom does the data belong to.
Current status of public administration:
- fragmentation, disunity and multiplicity of data in key databases of public administration
- impossibility to share data in current registers
- data available for administration of public authority are not always reliable
- when handling with public authorities citizen has to repeatedly submit his reference data
All this will change for better after the Basic registers will be launched.
Full transparency of Basic registers:
- entities for which the data are kept have the right to know and eventually question them
- they have also the right to know who used or updated their reference data on request through CzechPOINT or electronic data box
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
- What are the Basic Public Administration Registers?
It is a project of safe database that will unify now fragmented data stored by public authorities on citizens and state or non-state entities.
For the very first time in the history of the Czech republic there will be created a tool that will, as the only subject, provide relevant and unquestionable data, so-called reference data.
At the beginning it will be about 120 most important personal data, whose validity will be guaranteed by the state.
- What are they good for?
Besides the increasing efficiency of state administration, when the officials will not have to find out which data are relevant and updated, it will also led to acceleration of processing the citizen’s application and thus decreasing the bureaucratic burden. At administrative proceedings we estimate up to 40% time saving, because by this time clerk spent more than a half of the time verifying the validity of various data. It is important for the applicant that he will spend less time at the office desk.
- Can you give any particular example?
A citizen will avoid going around different public offices when changing name, domicile or ownership of real estate property as well as the other reference data.
When there is any change in reference data, a citizen simply reports it at the nearest public office and that’s all.
It is even easier in case of wedding when a registrar only record the change of names to the register so there is not any other notification duty for a citizen.
- And what about the institutions outside the public administration?
If a citizen wants to notify any non-state entities such as banks or mobile phone operators nothing prevent him from doing so.
If he consents to it, a public office will send a notification about the change of his name to a bank and so on. When the bank connects to the registers it will know about the change immediately and the citizen will not have to report it again.
- Sounds like the “Big Brother” though....
It may sound like the Big Brother only at the first hearing. The second reveals that the protection of privacy and personal data of citizens will be markedly upgraded. Among other things due to the fact that the system will use randomly generated non-semantic identifier instead of impractical birth certification number and also the whole process will be meticulously supervised by The Office for Personal Data Protection.
As well the identifier cannot be linked with a particular person it can be done only by ÚOOÚ via its ORG register.
- Theoretically it sounds quite good, but what about praxis?
Just one example: the clerk who is responsible for the agenda of register of inhabitants will not be able to find out where a particular person lives.
He has to get the information from the register of addresses via connecting Information system of basic registers.
In case the system appraises the official’s authorization it will make it available and ORG will assign it to a particular person.
If the system appraises that the clerk is going to get unauthorized data, Basic Registers´ Administration supervising the whole system of central registers will immediately inform ÚOOÚ.
- Will the launch of the central registers change the relationship between official and citizen?
If today the relationship between officials and citizen is, to put it mildly, not quite ideal, with the basic registers it is getting much better.
A citizen will no longer be afraid he would spend hours and hours proving the authenticity of the reference data in many different documents because of whereby the government forced him to go around four different public authorities.
But both sides will feel the big relief, definitely. And nothing would keep a friendly smile from ruling at the both sides of the office desk.
- Will the citizen have to learn another number?
No. The citizen will not have to know or handle with any such number he only presents his identity card.
Practically it would not even be possible to know any such number because there will be a different identifier for every agenda.
Only ORG will know the identifier but they will not automatically know whom does it belong to.
And the basic registers will not use the birth certificate number anymore.
- How much did the fun cost?
The launch of four basic registers cost about 2.5 billion Czk, when 85 % of the amount was financed from European funds.
In comparison the government counts with cost savings from 7 to 8 billion Czk annually.
The most important saving will be in time now spent by verification and validation of the data at the office desk. The clerk will not hesitate and grab for the data from registers already verified and guaranteed by the government.
- What if a citizen does not believe those nice words?
Every citizen will be able to make sure of the system’s transparency.
People and companies, on which the data will be maintained, have the right to know or question them.
Besides that they are entitled to require the information which official has recently asked for their reference data. They can be given the answer on request at every CzechPOINT office, but required information will be sent there automatically in case they have its own electronic data box.
- Is there any risk of collapse at the launch of the registers?
Since April 2012 the actual operation of the system has been meticulously tested on a pilot programme in real public office with real data.
All institutions involved to the project of basic registers have approached the technical and informational campaign responsibly and have consulted the best „tuning“ of the system with the representatives of IT specialists from particular regions of public authority and from the Union of towns and municipalities.
We will have enough feedback and therefore it will be possible to remove all inadequacies to ensure the best possible functionality of the whole system.
- I am the official, but I don’t know anything about central registers.
The informational road show has already been proceeded at all regional authorities in the Czech Republic.
Besides that the Ministry of the Interior continuously organizes seminaries and conferences for particular types of officials.
But the largest informational campaign is only going to be launched and moreover a so-called cookery book will be released that clearly explains effects of basic registers to clerks.
So, there’s no reason for panic.
- Our public office won’t use the registers!
For getting citizen’s reference data every clerk will be obliged to use only basic registers. If the required data are in there, the clerk is not allowed to require them from an applicant with no exception.
Besides the basic registers there will not be any other database with verified a guaranteed data, so the reference data which were obtained from any other source outside the basic registers will not be considered valid.
If any public office wasn’t connected to the system of basic registers, it would not wield the public administration.
- There are six registers, how to make sense with that?
For a citizen – client it is very easy.
The only important thing for him are the basic registers as a whole and also the fact he provides one type of reference data just once.
As well the official will not be bothered by any complicated spider’s web of different data.
He will ask the required data via the agenda system of ISZR and it will do all the work instead.
- What does the intensive care unit (JIP) have in common with the registers?
The abbreviation JIP really doesn’t mean any intensive care unit, but it stands for Integrated Identity Area Project).
It is a project related to basic registers but in its own essence a way overlapping their framework.
It is a sort of register of officials in public authority, which, besides actual evidence, deals with their authorization and rank in public administration.
Six projects, four organizations:
- Register of Inhabitants (Ministry of the Interior) – updated reference data on citizens of Czech republic, foreigners with residence permit or incomers who were granted asylum here
- Register of Rights and Duties (Ministry of the Interior) – the data of competency of public administration offices
- Register of Persons (Czech Statistical office) – the reference data about corporations, enterprising individuals or public authorities
- Register of Territorial Identification, Addresses and Real Estate Property (Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre) – data on the basic territorial elements, for example territories of the states, regions, municipals or parts of urban areas, plots and streets
- Information System of Basic Registers (Ministry of the Interior) – the four registers will operate in its framework
- Individual Identifiers´ Converter(ÚOOÚ) – a key project for data safety; it will no longer be possible to obtain personal information about a citizen on every public authority only with the knowledge of the birth certificate number