Through a regulation by the Minister of the Interior, 137 municipal offices are allowed to register photos for e-cards from Austrians. 109 municipalities can also carry out registration for foreigners. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner emphasized: “The communities are service facilities for the people in Austria. The ability to take photos for the e-card at municipal offices is a further step.”
Shorter routes for citizens
The possibility of uploading images for the e-card directly to the municipal offices and having them officially confirmed shortens the distance for the population. For example, a 24-hour carer from Romania will now be able to go to the nearest municipal office for photo registration instead of having to visit the state police headquarters or the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum in the state capital. “An important service, especially for those who would otherwise have to travel long distances. “The Austrian municipalities are happy to be partners when it comes to more services for citizens,” emphasized Municipal Association President Johannes Pressl. “We look forward to seeing even more communities offering the e-card service in the future.”
The participating communities volunteered for this new service offer following a call from the Ministry of the Interior and the Association of Municipalities. Other communities may be added in the future.
Current situation
Since 2020, e-cards in Austria have been provided with a photo of the holder. To date, the images used for this have mainly come from the driver’s license register and other state registers. However, not all Austrians were recorded and foreigners were generally not taken into account. Austrians therefore had to contact the social insurance companies for photo registration, while people without Austrian citizenship had to contact the state police departments or federal offices for immigration and asylum.
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