e-government portal online

Official forms and procedures available

The Presidency of Council of Ministers and Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) officially announced the Lebanese e-government portal Dawlati.gov.lb. The ‘My Government’ (Dawlati) mobile app is also available.

Lebanese citizens can now save time in processing and tracking their administrative paperwork. This project is an effective first step towards e-government.

Ali Ataya, Head of the e-government Unit at the OMSAR, said: “All the technical steps are achieved and we are only waiting for the administrations to start adopting the technology and using it.” He said the first two administrations to go cyber were the General Security Directorate and the Ministry of Agriculture. The Ministries of Exterior and Interior will soon follow.

“All ministries and administrations will upload their documents on the platform to accelerate its spread and raise awareness about it,” said Salam Yamout, Head of the ICT Committee at the Presidency of Council of Ministers. She said the government achieved this project within a very short period since January 2012.

A back office will be essential in ministries that are not fully computerized yet. It will receive the e-document, print it, and deliver it to the appropriate bureau until further computerization is implemented.

Dawlati.gov.lb will include information about more than 4,500 administrative procedures, as well as 220 forms in Arabic, English, and French. Users may create an e-account to save their personal files and documents.

The website groups specific information, forms, and services into five categories of users: Students, businesses, residents, emigrants, and foreigners.

Transactions can be performed either online using interactive forms, or by downloading ‘fillable’ pdf forms.

Data security and encryption on the platform is guaranteed by Ogero using the highest security conditions, said Ataya.

Ataya said that the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank (BDL) have already launched the tax e-payment procedures. “We are currently studying a method to pay stamps and fees related to particular administrative paperwork.”

“We are getting closer towards e-signature which is just waiting for the necessary legislation,” said Ataya. According to him, this will be achieved within two years.