Illustrative stock photo (source: Sme)
Statutory representatives of companies residing in Slovakia will no longer have to send fat envelopes and wait in long queues when communicating with state authorities, as the state officially launched online communication via state e-letterboxes on July 1.
The aim is save time and money, as it will be possible to submit any document to the state authority at any time and from anywhere, says the operator of the system, the National Agency for Network and Electronic Services (NASES).
The state automatically activated the e-letterboxes at the Slovensko.sk website for all corporate entities residing in Slovakia who are included in the business register as of July 1, including entities who have not yet logged into the system. The letterboxes will be used for communication with all state authorities, as well as with municipalities, the state-run social insurer Sociálna Poisťovňa, the courts, notaries and distrainors, the TASR newswire reported.
The system should halve the administrative fees, while some services, like the extract from the business register, will be offered for free, said NASES head Norbert Molnár.
Statutory representatives can ask questions concerning the online system by calling the helpline (weekdays from 8:00 to 18:00 and until 21:00 on Wednesdays) or by submitting a short form at Slovensko.sk.
The e-letterboxes were redesigned and several functions simplified after users filed several complaints. With the new changes in effect as of July 1, users will also have access to a tool that can explain how the new e-letterbox works.
To log into the system, it is necessary to have an ID card with an electronic chip, activated personal security code, card reader and related software that can be downloaded at Slovensko.sk.
Though the use of e-letterboxes is compulsory, about 14 percent of companies listed in the business register and nearly 40 percent of statutory representatives did not have access to e-letterboxes before they were launched, the Pravda daily reported.
The duty also applies to foreigners
The new duty also applies to foreign statutory representatives whose companies reside in Slovakia.
To log into the e-letterboxes, the Interior Ministry introduced on March 1 an alternative authenticator for both foreign and Slovak statutory representatives without permanent residency in Slovakia.
The foreign statutory representatives need to request the authenticator at the departments of the alien police, while Slovaks can go to one of the nine regional authorities that issue personal documents. They are required to submit an application that states their personal information and security code, as well as the name of the corporate entity and its address.
The authenticators are issued free of charge and are valid for three years. They do not replace any other card issued by the foreigners’ police regarding the residence permission in Slovakia, Alena Koišová of the Interior Ministry’s press department told The Slovak Spectator.
Since the statutory representatives still need an electronic signature to fully use the e-letterboxes, the holders of the alternative authenticators can authorise someone else with an electronic signature to use the e-services.
