General
Apart from the conventional filing of applications, the Provincial Government of Upper Austria now offers the possibility of filing applications electronically using the Internet (E-Government Services) in various areas.
Personal designations in these General Terms and Conditions relate both to men and women.
Who Can Make Use of E-Government Services?
E-Gov can be used by all natural and legal persons as well as partnerships under commercial law who/which desire to make use of public- or private-sector services of the Administration of the Province of Upper Austria via the Internet.
Registration
A prerequisite for making use of the services offered under E-Gov is to previously register once (login). At such registration, the user is asked to enter basic personal user data as well as a username and a password.
The username-unless already allocated-and the password can be freely chosen by the user and are only limited with regard to the character length. The username shall comprise at least 10 characters (letters and/or numbers) and shall start with a letter. This username can be stored in the E-Government applications of the Administration of the Province of Upper Austria. The password must correspond to the following rules:
- Validity: Expires 92 days after change of password (Exception - Self registered users: Password is valid for an unlimited period of time!)
- Length: At least 12 characters
- Upper and lower case are differentiated
- Special characters: The password must contain at least 1 special character (e.g. #,!"§$%&/()=?_.,+*)
- The password must not contain the user's own forename, surname and user name.
- Failed attempts: 5 failed attempts are possible, afterwards the access gets locked (may be abrogated by password request).
- Passwords already used must not be used again.
In addition to the user data, username and password, a valid e-mail address shall be indicated. An identification for activating the user ID will be immediately sent to the this e-mail address. After this identification has been acknowledged, registration is completed and the user authorization activated.
These legitimation data are checked by E-Gov Services of the Administration of the Province of Upper Austria.
Furthermore, the indicated address or e-mail address is used to communicate any settlements by the Administration to the user.
In order to ensure that a filing contains the current personal basic data and the user can obtain knowledge of documents communicated or served, as the case may be, it is advisable to check whether the user data are up-to-date and to immediately update any changes prior to the filing of any application.
Access Lock
On the suspicion of misuse, the Provincial Government may lock the access to E-Gov Services.
Filings
Filings can be electronically submitted to the offered administrative areas with legally binding effect using the username and the password.
According to the provisions of procedural law, filings observing the time limit, such as appeals, are deemed submitted already at the time they are actually received (i.e., also out of office hours), so the time limit is observed.
Filings submitted out of office hours, such as applications, become effective upon recommencement of office hours.
Possible Procedural Peculiarities
In the event of the legal provision concerned expressly requiring the handwritten signature of the filing and digital signing of the filing not being possible yet, such signature shall be subsequently furnished as soon as possible.
Furthermore, in the event of legal provisions stipulating the submission of individual enclosures in the original, such enclosures shall also be subsequently furnished as soon as possible.
Charges and duties are collected or prescribed in the course of the respective procedure.
Acknowledgement of Receipt
The receipt of an electronic filing is acknowledged. Such acknowledgement of receipt comprises the designation of the filing, an application number, the date and time of electronic acceptance as well as the data of the competent authority.
Settlements
Settlements by the Administration of the Province of Upper Austria can be e-mailed to the indicated user e-mail address. In this case, additional postal delivery to the user can be omitted.
Remuneration
As a matter of principle, the Province of Upper Austria offers E-Gov Services free of charge.
Irrespective of this, however, any charges, duties, etc., resulting from specific procedures under the relevant legal provisions shall be paid.
Note: The use of the Internet involves expenses (e.g., provider) to be borne by the user.
Care/Exclusion of Liability
In order to prevent any third party from accessing others' electronic filings, the users are obliged in their own interest to keep secret the username and particularly the password. The password shall be immediately changed on the suspicion of misuse. Any suspicion of misuse shall be reported to e-Gov@ooe.gv.at. User data can be caused to be erased by sending an e-mail to e-Gov@ooe.gv.at (a plausibility check will be carried out).
In the event of the user suffering prejudice (for example, based on any misuse by third parties), the Province of Austria will not assume any liability.
Although for technical reasons the Province of Upper Austria is not in a position to guarantee any entitlement to access to E-Government Services for an unlimited period of time, the Province of Upper Austria makes every effort to provide optimum availability in technical terms.
