The new Gobiernodigital.org website is now online and comprises of 65 government services and contacts

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The Spanish site includes The Supreme Court of Elections, The Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) and the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, among others.

Several government institutions already have Web pages with information on services, personnel and how to pay bills, but many don’t know how to access this information.

For example, Costa Ricans can now request a birth certificate from the civil registry (Registro Civil) or make an appointment with Immigration to get a passport.

The site offers contact information for more than 150 institutions and plans also to gauge the government’s initiatives in creating a “digital government.”

Among other goals, the site hopes to decrease red tape in an effort to make the government more effective and transparent.

However, the site will not take the place of people, especially for those who
do not have access to Internet. It’s also not meant to make every service available by phone or for users to request information to be faxed to them.

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On line:

In Costa Rica there are 154 governmental institutions including ministries, autonomous institutions and other public offices. 74 percent online: Three-fourths (74 percent) of government institutions have Web pages.

Search services: All governmental Web pages offer information and consulting services.

Procedures: Only 38 percent allow people to follow procedures online, such as
bill payment, bank transactions, legal consultations and service requests.

Digital bank: Few people visit these web sites except for the state bank site.

No centralized effort: No government office is leading the way in developing a
strategy for a “digital government,” although the Ministry of Science
and Technology is making efforts.

Gobiernodigital.org plans to develop “My Digital Government,” a space where registered users can develop a personalized page with their favorite services and institutions..

For example, a registered user can create a list of those payments and services
he wants to have in easy reach. Another project plans to offer an award of excellence to the best government Web page in order to encourage better service and recognize the efforts of public entities.

A program allowing the payment of all public services on line is in the works.

Our thanks to Alejandra Vargas and our friends at La Nación – Costa Rica most influential and largest circulation Spanish newspaper for their permission to use this article…

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