The e-file (electronic file) is the fully electronic management of a public authority's records. The paper file is replaced by a structured digital file in which documents, processes, and metadata are managed in a traceable and permanent way. The e-file is therefore more than a folder full of PDF files: it reflects the file structure, the processing history, and the retention rules of the administration.
The goal is proper, auditable records management free of media breaks – as the basis for digital administrative processes and for implementing the Online Access Act (OZG). Digitally submitted applications can only be processed end to end if the file behind them is also managed electronically.
For federal authorities, electronic records management is anchored in the federal EGovG. Since the revision by the act amending the OZG (in force on July 24, 2024), it has been set out in Section 6a EGovG (previously Section 6 EGovG). According to this provision, federal authorities should manage their files electronically; authorities for which this would be uneconomical in the long term are exempt. Where files are managed electronically, appropriate technical and organisational measures in line with the state of the art must ensure the principles of proper records management.
The federal states have their own e-government acts, some with mandatory deadlines and requirements. For municipalities, the obligation therefore depends on the respective state law – there is no uniform nationwide introduction date.
The functional structure of the e-file is based on the federal government's Organizational Concept for Electronic Administrative Work (OKeVA). It describes three-level filing: the file bundles a subject-matter context, the process covers a processing step, and the document is the individual record. Among other things, a distinction is made between the subject file, which is organized according to a subject-matter criterion, and the case file, which reflects a specific individual case.
A well-thought-out file plan is the basis for ensuring that records are filed uniformly, found reliably, and retained or disposed of on time. This keeps administrative action traceable and verifiable even years later.
Electronic records management is more than a technical changeover. It speeds up access to processes, enables work independent of time and place, and makes processing steps transparent and traceable. At the same time, it is the prerequisite for offering administrative services digitally end to end: only when application, processing, and filing interlock electronically does a process free of media breaks emerge, from submission of the application to the decision. For municipalities, this means considering the e-file at an early stage when they expand their online services. The Public Sector and Administration topic area brings together further fundamentals for authorities and municipalities.
Section 6a EGovG sets out a should provision for federal authorities: they should manage their files electronically and ensure the principles of proper records management in doing so. Only authorities for which this would be uneconomical in the long term are exempt. This effectively creates an obligation with a narrowly defined exception. The federal states and municipalities, by contrast, follow their own state e-government acts, some with differing deadlines and requirements.
According to the federal government's Organizational Concept for Electronic Administrative Work (OKeVA), the file is the bracket for an entire subject-matter context, the process is an individual processing step within it, and the document is the specific individual record. This three-level structure ensures that records can be filed uniformly, found reliably, and managed or disposed of on time over the entire retention period.
Yes, provided that an authority converts its records management completely to electronic form and does not want to continue keeping paper records in parallel. So-called replacement scanning is governed by Section 7 EGovG and the Technical Guideline BSI TR-03138 (RESISCAN), which sets out requirements for an electronic image that matches the original visually and in content, as well as for the subsequent destruction of the paper original.
No, in its direct effect, Section 6a EGovG only binds federal authorities. The federal states and municipalities instead manage their files according to the respective state e-government acts, which contain comparable but not identical requirements, exceptions, and deadlines. There is therefore no uniform nationwide introduction date for electronic records management in municipal administration.
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