What if digital communication with government agencies were the norm? A look at Finland shows what that might look like in practice: Many citizens there regularly use digital government services, and digital delivery of official mail has long been part of everyday life for large segments of the population.
Unfortunately, Swiss municipalities cannot simply adopt a model based on Finland’s digital government—the legal, organizational, and federal frameworks differ significantly. Nevertheless, looking north is helpful because it highlights a trend that is becoming increasingly important in Switzerland as well: Digital government is no longer measured solely by whether information is available online. What matters is whether an administrative process is easy for citizens and businesses to use and functions reliably for the government. This is where the next stage of digitization begins. After all, an online form alone does not constitute a fully digital administrative process.
Many services start digitally but end analog
Swiss municipalities have achieved a great deal in recent years. Information is available online, forms can be downloaded or filled out directly, appointments can be scheduled digitally, and many services are accessible via online portals.
However, it is precisely with everyday administrative services that the next challenge becomes apparent. Anyone who requests a certificate of residence, submits a registration, applies for an ID card, makes a reservation, applies for a permit, or needs a registry extract expects digital processes that are as simple as possible today. For users, the most important question is: Can the task be completed clearly, quickly, and without unnecessary intermediate steps?
For the administration, the task is more complex. The data entered must be verified, forwarded to the correct department, imported into existing specialized applications, and properly documented. Depending on the procedure, secure identification, an electronic signature, online payment, legally compliant delivery, acknowledgment of receipt, or audit-proof archiving may be required.
If these steps are not fully digitized, media breaks occur. An application is submitted online, but must then be transferred manually. A form is available digitally, but must be printed out and signed. A decision is prepared electronically but delivered by mail. To the public, the process appears digital; within the administration, however, it remains labor-intensive at crucial points.
The fact that analog processes are still a reality in Switzerland is also evident in a curious federal government order: The Office for Construction and Logistics has issued a call for bids to supply 600 million sheets of copy paper. Federal Councilor Gerhard Andrey of the Green Party criticizes this as “no longer in keeping with the times.”
Media discontinuity is the real challenge
Media breaks are more than just a technical detail. They prolong processing times, create additional work, and increase the risk of errors. Data must be entered multiple times, documents move between systems, supporting documents are filed separately, and follow-up inquiries are handled through various channels.
This becomes particularly relevant in administrative procedures with legal implications. Here, it is not enough for a process to be convenient. It must be traceable, secure, and legally sound. The administration must be able to track when an application was submitted, who the applicant is, whether a signature is valid, when a document was delivered, and how the case was archived.
Digitization in public administration, therefore, does not simply mean moving existing paper-based processes online. It means rethinking the entire workflow: from the initial contact through data collection and processing to issuance, delivery, and archiving. A digital transition is truly efficient only if internal processes are aligned with it.
Administrative processes must meet specific requirements
Private digital services can focus heavily on convenience and speed. Administrative processes, however, must also meet clear legal and organizational requirements. These include data protection, information security, traceability, deadlines, service of documents, archiving, and accessibility.
These requirements make digital administration challenging. A municipality cannot simply use just any online tool when processing sensitive personal data or making legally binding decisions. The solutions used must comply with the respective procedures, specialized applications, and cantonal guidelines.
At the same time, digital services should remain understandable to the public. Anyone using an online service does not want to be burdened with technical or legal details. The process should appear simple, even though multiple requirements are being reliably met behind the scenes.
This is the real challenge: Digital administrative services must be accessible and user-friendly without compromising security, traceability, and legal validity.
DigiLex makes the requirements more concrete
This development is particularly evident in the Canton of Zurich. With DigiLex and the Ordinance on Electronic Procedural Acts in Administrative Proceedings (VeVV), the requirements for digital administrative procedures are increasing. Starting in 2027, a legally compliant digital delivery channel will effectively become the standard for Zurich’s municipalities.
This involves more than just online forms or digital contact options. Administrative procedures with legal effect must be fully implementable digitally. This includes, among other things, secure identification, legally valid electronic signatures, sealed submission and receipt acknowledgments, traceable digital service, and audit-proof archiving.
Even outside of Zurich, government agencies are grappling with similar questions. How can digital submissions be accepted in a legally compliant manner? How can citizens receive documents digitally? How are deadlines and proof of delivery tracked? How can existing specialized systems be integrated? And how can the digital process remain understandable for all parties involved?
The sooner municipalities review their processes, interfaces, and delivery channels, the more easily subsequent adjustments can be planned and implemented in a controlled manner.
The next step starts with the process
The digitization of public administration is thus facing an important developmental step. In many places, the first phase consisted of making information, forms, and initial services available online. The next phase goes further: administrative processes must function seamlessly across media, in a legally compliant and user-friendly manner.
This applies not only to the visible interface of an online service portal. The underlying workflows are also crucial: data entry, identification, signatures, payment, processing, document creation, delivery, acknowledgment, and archiving. Only when these elements work together does digital access give rise to a seamless digital administrative process.
This presents an opportunity for Swiss municipalities. Those that systematically refine existing processes can make services more accessible, reduce the burden on internal workflows, and more reliably meet legal requirements. The prerequisite is to view digitization not as a collection of individual tools, but as a cohesive service from start to finish.
Digital solutions must integrate with existing specialized applications, local processes, and cantonal guidelines. The next step, therefore, does not begin with the next form, but with the question: How can a specific administrative service be handled entirely digitally, in compliance with the law, and in a way that is easy to understand?
Those who wish to delve deeper will find concrete approaches in the white paper “Digital Government Services: Legally Compliant, Accessible, and Efficient” on how Swiss municipalities can seamlessly digitize their administrative processes—from secure identities to electronic signatures, digital delivery, and audit-proof archiving.
Download the whitepaper for free now and learn how Swiss municipalities can take the next step toward digital administration.
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