Zurich municipalities need to become more digital: the clock is ticking for DigiLex

In just half a year, changes to administrative regulations triggered by the DigiLex project will take effect in the Canton of Zurich. By then, municipalities must be able to ensure seamless, legally binding electronic communication with government agencies. What is now important for those in charge, and why these changes are of interest to municipalities throughout Switzerland.

Starting next year, digital administrative services in the Canton of Zurich must be available online, legally compliant, traceable, and implemented without media discontinuity. What may seem at first glance like a regulatory requirement is also an opportunity to make administrative processes simpler, more secure, and more efficient.

The need for action is clear: administrative procedures with legal effect require a secure digital channel, unambiguous identification, legally valid electronic signatures or seals, reliable acknowledgments of submission and retrieval, and audit-proof archiving. An online form alone is therefore no longer sufficient. It is crucial that the entire process—from application to delivery—operates digitally.

A platform-based approach helps here: Instead of using individual tools side by side, municipalities should rely on solutions that integrate applications, documents, identity verification, signatures, seals, delivery, and proof of submission. This allows them to meet legal requirements without having to develop a separate, specialized solution for each procedure.

Five steps for preparation by 2027

Identify administrative services: Municipalities should identify which administrative services are legally relevant, frequently used, or particularly labor-intensive. Ideally, the municipality will find a solution capable of covering all of these services.
Identify media breaks: Where are documents currently being printed, signed, scanned, forwarded via email, or manually archived? These are the areas where risks to efficiency, traceability, and legal certainty arise.
Clarify technical foundations: Relevant specialized applications, GeVer or DMS systems, identity services such as AGOV, signature and seal solutions, as well as archiving processes should be evaluated early on for their integrability.
Plan for legally compliant delivery: Submission and retrieval receipts, timestamps, proof of delivery, and secure transmission must be integral parts of the process from the very beginning. Municipalities should clarify early on how they intend to implement this technically and who can support them in doing so. If IT partners are involved early on, they can provide support as early as the planning phase.
Consider e-ID: The nationwide electronic identity system was originally scheduled to launch at the end of this year but is expected to be further delayed. Nevertheless, municipalities should prepare to interact with citizens through this channel as well. Practical knowledge regarding integration is often still lacking; here, too, experienced partners can offer assistance.

Proven solutions instead of starting a project from scratch

Collaborating with a central implementation partner also ensures that municipalities need to devote fewer of their own resources to meeting the complex requirements. Field-tested platforms with existing process templates enable a faster start and reduce the risk of errors.

By utilizing existing solutions such as eGovAdmin and leveraging the experience of Swisscom and i-web in public administration, municipalities benefit from a platform that can handle applications, notifications, reservations, and administrative procedures seamlessly—from online applications through identification, signature, and payment to the digital issuance and delivery of documents.

This means municipalities do not have to redesign their digital administration from scratch. All the building blocks are already available, can be adapted to municipal requirements, and can be introduced step by step. The result is not a rigid, one-size-fits-all model, but a sustainable foundation for digital government services tailored to each organization’s specific needs.

Act now, before the pressure to implement increases

There is less time until 2027 than it might seem at first glance. Processes must be analyzed, responsibilities clarified, systems integrated, employees involved, and pilot programs implemented. Those who start early gain planning certainty and can shape digital transformation as a controlled development step rather than a short-term mandatory exercise.

Key facts:

What are the most important changes? Municipalities must offer electronic channels for communicating with citizens that are equivalent to existing analog procedures. To this end, measures for secure identification and authentication must be put in place. In the long term, citizens should also be able to access records electronically.
Which regulations are being amended for this purpose? As part of the Digi-Lex project, a partial revision of the Administrative Procedure Act (VRG) is underway, and a new Ordinance on Electronic Procedural Acts (VeVV) will be enacted.
When will the changes take effect? The changes are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.

Learn More

Download our latest white paper on digitization in Swiss municipalities for free here.

Customer success stories

Customer success stories

Zurich municipalities need to become more digital: the clock is ticking for DigiLex

Five steps for preparation by 2027

Proven solutions instead of starting a project from scratch

Act now, before the pressure to implement increases

Key facts:

Weitere Blogartikel

Zürcher Gemeinden müssen digitaler...

Stellt das KI-Gesetz eine Bedrohung...

Ist das EU-KI-Gesetz für Ihr...

Vorbereitung auf PSD3 und PSR: 4...