Anyone applying for state benefits today often has to submit the same personal details several times to different authorities. This is set to change fundamentally in future. Relevant data and supporting documents should be exchanged directly, securely and in accordance with data protection regulations between the authorities involved. This requires the data to be unambiguously linked to a specific individual across different public authorities and the registers they maintain. The identification number (IDNr) serves as the unifying classification criterion. To enable public authorities to retrieve, securely and automatically, an individual’s ID number and current basic details – such as their name and address – when necessary, the BVA has developed the specialist procedure for retrieving identity data (IDA).

An interconnected system of registers makes administrative processes more efficient

The Federal Employment Agency of Germany is the first registry authority to use its connection to IDA in routine operation. For the Federal Employment Agency of Germany, this means, above all, a more reliable matching of personal data in the operational procedures of unemployment insurance and basic income support.

With this successful pilot project, the BVA and BA have reached a key milestone in the modernisation of the registers and laid the foundations for its nationwide roll-out. Within the administration, data can now be mapped more accurately, thereby reducing sources of error, preventing mix-ups between individuals and eliminating time-consuming manual verification processes. Applications can therefore be processed more quickly. In the long term, members of the public will benefit from no longer having to obtain and submit the same supporting documents multiple times.

Katja Wilken, President of the Federal Office of Administration (BVA): “The integration of the Federal Employment Agency of Germany into the identity verification process shows that the register modernisation has passed the practical test. It is now crucial that other registration authorities follow suit."

Andrea Nahles, Chair of the Executive Board of the Federal Employment Agency of Germany, adds: “Germany needs a modern, interconnected system of registers. It makes administrative procedures easier for members of the public and also makes the administration itself more efficient – without consistent use, the potential for reducing red tape remains untapped."

To enable citizens to see which data has been exchanged on the basis of their ID number, the BA is also connected to the so-called Data Protection Cockpit (available in German only), which is operated by the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen on behalf of the BVA. 

Next steps: The Federal Employment Agency of Germany is connecting to the National Once-Only Technical System (NOOTS)

The next step is to connect the Federal Employment Agency of Germany to the NOOTS. In future, this infrastructure is intended to enable the secure exchange of documents between public authorities. Looking ahead, the BA will act both as a data consumer and as a data provider. Here, too, the use of the ID number is essential to ensure that records relating to the individuals in question are accurate and secure. 

Wichtig:In addition to the BA and the BVA, the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation (BMDS), the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) and the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen were also involved in the project. The specialist, legal and technical experience gained will be incorporated into the ongoing implementation of the register modernisation programme and, in particular, into further connections to IDA.