Online Forms and Application Management for Public Authorities

Q: Does signing in with BundID replace the signature?

In many cases, yes. Anyone who verifies their identity via a user account such as BundID and submits the application as an online form thereby replaces a statutory written form requirement (Section 9a(5) OZG). For procedures that still require a signature, Paperless offers the qualified electronic signature directly in the form.

Q: Do we need our own integration with BundID or Mein Unternehmenskonto?

No. Both user accounts are ready to use in Paperless, at all levels of assurance from basic to high. Master data from the account is transferred into the form. When BundID evolves into DeutschlandID, the accounts and the integration remain in place.

Q: Are the forms accessible?

Yes. Paperless forms are designed for accessibility, can be offered in plain language and are automatically translated into ten languages. Citizens fill them in on any device, with no app and no printer.

Q: How does the data get into our case management system?

Via XML or CSV export, the REST API or webhooks. Systems such as SAP can be connected directly, and Excel exports work without any setup.

Q: Where is the data stored?

Exclusively on servers in Germany, with German subprocessors and not subject to the US CLOUD Act. Caseworkers access the system via SSO and two-factor login, and you assign access rights based on roles.

Q: How quickly can we get started?

Right away. Create a form or import an existing PDF, define responsibilities, publish. The immigration office of the City of Frankfurt digitized 120 forms in just a few weeks. Try Paperless free for 14 days, no credit card required.

Submit, review and decide on applications online. With BundID, no IT project needed.

Your departments build accessible forms themselves. Citizens and businesses verify their identity with BundID or Mein Unternehmenskonto, and the data goes straight into your case management system. GDPR and eIDAS compliant, hosted in Germany.

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Trusted by over 4,500 customers across Europe

From PDF form to digital application.

Without Paperless

PDF forms sent by email, printed and scanned lead to media breaks, follow-up questions and errors. Every attachment has to be requested separately, and every entry is typed into the case management system by hand.

Loose stack of paper with form 100 for the building permit procedure in Berlin, with fields for the building supervisory authority, date and reference number, and sections for project details such as name, use and location of the property including postcode, district, neighborhood and street.

With Paperless

One end-to-end application process, from BundID identification to filing. The data goes straight into your case management system via export or interface.

Digital application form shown on a smartphone and in a desktop browser, filled in with the name Jan Brenner, an IBAN, the bank Hollerbacher Sparkasse and a verified electronic signature. At the top, badges for GDPR compliant, Made in Germany, eIDAS and OZG.

One tool for everyone who receives, reviews and decides on applications.

Cities & Municipalities

From residential parking permits to funding applications: departments build their own forms, multilingual and accessible. Citizens sign in with BundID, and caseworkers review everything in the browser.

Municipal Utilities & Public Companies

Service connections, meter readings, funding programs and contracts with SEPA mandate in a single form. Business customers verify their identity with Mein Unternehmenskonto.

State Authorities, Universities & Institutions

Funding applications, certificates and internal forms such as travel or leave requests. Sign-in via SSO, approvals in a defined order.

Build forms without waiting for IT.

No-code drag & drop editor: caseworkers create and edit forms themselves, no programming skills required

Accessible, plain language, automatically translated into ten languages: all in the same form.

If-then logic: only the fields and attachments relevant to the application are shown

File upload with malware scanning for IDs, supporting documents and plans

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Form builder for an identity card application: a File upload field is being dragged into the form. On the right, a builder panel with elements such as text, HTML, image, video, table, spacing, separator and attachment, and form fields for Jana Becker such as text input, checkbox, radio, signature, date and file upload.

Verified with BundID and Mein Unternehmenskonto.

Citizens sign in with BundID, businesses with Mein Unternehmenskonto. Master data is transferred into the form, and in many procedures the identification replaces the signature.

All levels of assurance from basic to high, ready to use without your own integration

Master data from the user account is transferred into the form, so no one types anything twice

Written form replacement: in many procedures, identification via the user account and the online form replace the written form (Section 9a(5) OZG)

No additional Paperless account: citizens use the login they already know

Online application form on formulare.musterstadt.io with the label Identified by BundID. The fields are pre-filled with the name Lisa Hoffmann, date of birth 15/02/1985, address Mühlweg 2, 00349 Hollerbach, and a blue Submit Application button.

Why citizens prefer to apply online.

No printer needed

Fill in the application on a smartphone, photograph supporting documents, submit.

Faster response

Complete applications, no follow-up questions by post: processing starts right away.

Fill in on any device

Start on the go, finish at home.

In their own language

Forms automatically translated into ten languages, switchable with one click.

Complete the first time

Required fields and hints prevent incomplete applications.

Accessible

Designed for accessibility, available in plain language on request.

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Woman with short brown hair and a brown cardigan sitting relaxed on a sofa, smiling as she looks at her smartphone.

Deliver decisions digitally. With a qualified seal.

The decision is generated from a template using the application data. The qualified seal replaces the caseworker’s signature and is issued on behalf of the authority.

Qualified electronic seal on behalf of the authority, suitable for bulk use on decisions, certificates and official documents

Written form replacement for electronic administrative documents under Section 9a(6) OZG

Delivery by email with a protected link, audit-proof archiving with timestamp and audit trail

No more printing, signing and scanning: the decision leaves the office digitally and arrives digitally

Official notice from the City Magistrate of Dreieich, case number KB-2026-0418, addressed to Ms. Becker, with a green box confirming it was qualified electronically sealed on November 3, 2026.

Set it up once, reuse it for every application.

You define the form, responsibilities, approvals and deadlines once. From then on, every application follows the same path: citizens verify their identity with BundID and automatically receive a confirmation of receipt. Caseworkers review, the head of department approves, and the decision is generated from the template and delivered with a qualified seal. The data goes straight into your case management system, without anyone forwarding emails or retyping.

Workflow with three steps: Fill out form with 13 fields by residents, Sign with BundID, and automatic archiving in SharePoint with a download button. At the top, a New workflow button.

Everything a digital application needs. In every form.

Legally binding electronic signature

Fully eIDAS-compliant signatures, from SES to QES, for all forms and applications.

Dark blue handwritten-style digital signature on a light background with a green box in the upper right showing a lock icon and the text QES, which stands for qualified electronic signature.

BundID and Mein Unternehmenskonto

Identification at all levels of assurance. Master data is transferred into the form.

Secure file upload with malware scanning

Automatic virus scanning of all uploaded files.

File upload area labeled Upload files, with a file named identity_card.pdf being dragged in by a hand cursor.

Native multilingual support

Forms are automatically translated into ten languages.

Language menu titled Choose language with the options German, Ukrainian and Turkish; German is selected.

Dynamic forms

Fields and sections adapt to what users enter.

Diagram with a green circle at the top containing a white lightning bolt, connected by lines to three blue circles below labeled A, B and C.

Accessibility & plain language

Paperless forms are designed for accessibility and can be offered in plain language.

Accessibility panel titled Accessible adjustments with two toggles: Visual impairment is off, Easy language is on.

Transfer data error-free to your case management system.

Export collected data as XML or CSV, e.g. for SAP or Excel

REST API and webhooks for your own interfaces, automated processing without media breaks

Every entry arrives as a data field, not a scan: no OCR, no retyping, no transcription errors.

Funding application form with the entries Jana Becker, Climate bonus case no. KB-2026-0418 and Green roofing for multi-family house, and a blue Export as XML button. Dashed arrows lead to three folders with the logos of SAP, Excel and FIT-Connect.

Recommended by our customers

The City of Frankfurt am Main uses Paperless to digitize applications across several departments, from the immigration office to the climate office.

Requesting missing documents used to take weeks. Today it takes two clicks, and the decision goes out within days.

Lara Mohr, Climate Office City of Frankfurt am Main

< 2 weeks

processing time at the immigration office, previously 3 months

< 15 min

per funding application, previously 3 hours

Try it free now

View of the Frankfurt am Main skyline with modern skyscrapers on the banks of the River Main and a green riverside promenade under a clear sky.

View of the Frankfurt am Main skyline with high-rise buildings on the banks of the River Main, surrounded by trees and historic buildings.

One platform. Countless possibilities.

Applications & forms

Decisions & certificates

Funding & grant applications

SEPA mandates & fees

Official documents & permits

Online Access Act (OZG) services

Business & building permit applications

Reports & complaints

Service connections & meter readings

Contracts & agreements

Internal requests (travel, leave)

Multilingual forms

Maximum security and 100% GDPR compliant.

Data remains in Germany

Servers and subcontractors located exclusively in Germany

GDPR compliant

Protection of Personal Data in the EU

Regular security audits

External penetration tests several times a year

Hash-based signature

With an API connection, the document remains in the system; only its hash is signed.

Secure Login

SSO (OAuth, OpenID Connect, ADFS), SCIM provisioning, and 2FA via TOTP

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Precisely Control Access Rights

Learn more

Illustration mit einem Schloss, das von Sternen eines Kreises umgeben ist, einem Dokument mit Unterschrift und einem Schlüssel, inklusive Text "Made & hosted in Germany" und Hinweis auf "Company ID".

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does signing in with BundID replace the signature?