(1) Where an administrative procedure is carried out by electronic means, the documents to be presented may be submitted by electronic means, save where this is at variance with a legal provision or where the authority requires the submission of an original document for certain procedures or in individual instances. The authority shall decide after due consideration at its own discretion which form of electronic submission is permissible in order to determine the facts of the matter in hand.
(2) With the consent of the party involved in the procedure, the competent authority may retrieve required documentation originating from a German public body directly from the issuing public body. The requesting authority and the furnishing public body may collect, process and use the necessary personal data to this end.
(3) In the absence of any legal provisions to the contrary, the consent pursuant to sub-section 2 may be provided by electronic means. In this connection, the authority shall ensure that the data subject
1. has granted their consent consciously and unambiguously,
2. can retrieve the content of the consent at any time and
3. can revoke the consent at any time with effect for the future.
The consent shall be documented.