The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton has introduced the eDocuments – CIPS service, through which citizens of the Sarajevo Canton can now electronically receive the so-called CIPS certificates (electronically signed form PBA3/Notice of Residence/Residence). The basic prerequisite for obtaining this service is that citizens have a valid electronic signature deposited with the IDDEEA Agency, as well as that they have a residence in the Sarajevo Canton.
The Minister of Internal Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton, Admir Katica, stated that he would like this day to be remembered as the day that marked the beginning of the end of issuing CIPS certificates at the counters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton, the end of queues at the counters and the beginning of a new modern era of digitalized public administration in the Sarajevo Canton.
“As of today, every citizen of BiH who has a residence in the Sarajevo Canton can submit an electronic request via mobile phone or computer and will receive an electronically signed form PBA3, the so-called CIPS, to their email,” the Minister stated. “The Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton has provided all the technical conditions for citizens to use this service electronically. There are no legal obstacles to any company, authority or institution accepting an electronically signed form in the future. Therefore, I hereby publicly call on them to adapt their business and accept electronic certificates that can only be used in electronic format because once printed, they cease to be valid,” explained the Minister. He announced today’s event as very important for all citizens of the Sarajevo Canton, but also as another step towards the digitalization of processes and modernization of public administration.
In the last three years, the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton has introduced digital services such as E-grunt, E-pisarnica and now E-cips. In these processes, the involvement of other administrative authorities is very important. In order to popularize and simplify the deposit of electronic signatures by citizens, local communities have also been involved. The Municipality of Ilidža was the first in Bosnia and Herzegovina to open a Registration Office, which enabled citizens and business entities to have faster and easier access to qualified certificates for electronic signatures, and today the Municipality of Novo Sarajevo did the same, and Minister Katica expressed his gratitude to Mayor Karić and Mayor Muzur for their support in the digitalization of the process.
One of the most complete digital services in BiH
The Director of the Agency for Identification Documents, Records and Data Exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Almir Badnjević, emphasized that the development of a web service that enables the electronic issuance of CIPS certificates has been offered to all ministries of internal affairs at the level of BiH, and the first and only one to have completed this process so far is the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton.
“This is one of the most complete digital services in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the simple reason that a citizen who has a qualified electronic signature accesses the website of the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton, digitally identifies himself with the access data he received from IDDEEA, chooses to submit a request where all data that is withdrawn from the Agency’s registers is automatically filled in, submits the request and the request is then processed by an officer at the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton and sent to the email that the citizen registered when he deposited the qualified electronic signature,” said Badnjević.
“I appeal to banks, telecom operators and others not to require citizens to physically bring this document in the future but to accept it in electronic form. And let this be the way for all ministries of interior at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina to follow the example of the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton and facilitate this service for citizens,” added Badnjević.
A step forward in the modernization of public services
The presentation of the eDocuments – CIPS service was made by the Deputy Head of the IT Sector of the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton Kerim Šetić, who also worked on the development of this service. As he pointed out, the entire procedure for submitting a request for an electronically signed PBA3 form takes only a few minutes, and the first step is to access the website http://www.mup.ks.gov.ba and the eDocuments-CIPS link. The user manual for those who request this service is available at https://edokumenti-mup.ks.gov.ba/files/Korisnickouputstvo.pdf
It was emphasized that this is still a test phase, and the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton and IDDEEA will resolve any possible difficulties in the work that may arise in the coming period.
By launching the eDocuments – CIPS service, the Sarajevo Canton is making another step forward in the modernization of public services, more efficient administration and the best possible service for citizens. Minister Admir Katica announced that he will do his utmost to ensure that the Sarajevo Canton Ministry of Interior continues on this path next year and in due course enables citizens to electronically issue ID cards, driver’s licenses and passports, as well as certificates of no criminal record.
