Electronic legal communication and transactions

Parties to the proceedings may also submit documents, in particular written statements, to the Federal Administrative Court electronically. Lawyers, public authorities and legal persons under public law must use electronic legal communication and transactions. Here you can find further information on the obligatory use as a party to the senates deciding on appeal on points of law, as a party to military complaint proceedings and as a party to military disciplinary proceedings (each document available in German only).

The Court has established an electronic mailbox for electronic legal communication and transactions. Electronic documents must either be provided with a qualified electronic signature of the person responsible, or be signed by the person responsible and submitted via a secure transmission method. Secure transmission methods are the special electronic mailbox for lawyers (beA, besonderes elektronisches Anwaltspostfach), the special electronic mailbox for public authorities (beBPO, besonderes elektronisches Behördenpostfach), the special electronic mailbox for citizens and organisations (eBO, besonderes elektronisches Bürger- und Organisationenpostfach) or a user account of the portal network integrated into the communication with the courts pursuant to section 2 of the Online Access Act (OZG, Onlinezugangsgesetz) (available in German only).

Electronic legal communication and transactions are based on section 55a of the Code of Administrative Court Procedure (VwGO, Verwaltungsgerichtsordnung), section 55d VwGO and the Ordinance on the technical framework of electronic legal communication and transactions and the special electronic mailbox for public authorities (Verordnung über die technischen Rahmenbedingungen des elektronischen Rechtsverkehrs und über das besondere elektronische Behördenpostfach) (available in German only). The Federal Government has published further technical requirements for the transmission and processing of electronic documents (available in German only).