Central Population Register: Everything you need to know in one place

The Central Population Register, a new electronic register that consolidates data on citizens taken from multiple state registers in one place, has been active since June 1. It is available to citizens via the e-Citizens system.

We bring you everything you need to know about the new register - what data it contains, who can access it, how to check it, and how it is protected.

The Head of the Personal Data Protection Supervision Service of the Tax Administration, Matea Antolković, said in Croatian Television’s Studio 4 that it is an electronically maintained register that consolidates data taken from various official sources in one place.

“This is data that is taken from other data sources on a daily and quarterly basis. There are multiple data sets taken from data sources in one place,” she said.

She emphasized that the aim of the register is to simplify procedures for citizens and institutions.

“The main purpose of this register, which is a register for the future, is to make it easier for citizens to act, that is, to reduce the need to collect so much documentation, and to make it easier for users, state administration bodies and others to make the decision-making process in their area of responsibility easier,” said Antolković.

She explained that the Central Population Register consists of a general and a special part.

The register contains data on Personal Identification Number, name and surname, parents, children, disability, insured status, guardians and legal representatives. Data on employment and education, including diplomas and certificates, are also recorded.

The register also contains data on marital union and formal life partnership, and through statements it is possible to enter data on extramarital union and informal life partnership.

“Through statements, it will also be possible to add household members who may not already be registered in the Central Population Register itself,” explained Antolković.

Data on blood relationships also in the registry

Antolković pointed out that one of the novelties of the registry is the linking of data on blood relationships, including siblings.

“As we go up to the level of parents, grandparents, we also go down to the level of children, siblings. All data that can be linked, and that was taken from the civil registry, will be linked in the Central Population Registry itself,” she said.

"One-stop-shop" for citizen data

Speaking about the purpose of the registry, she said that the goal is to unify data that is already in different records and simplify the exercise of citizens' rights.

“We wanted to create a single registry that would replace many registers that are already available, but so that citizens and institutions would have access to all the data in one place,” she pointed out.

She added that this should reduce the collection of documentation and make it easier for institutions to make decisions on scholarships, social benefits, child allowances and other rights within their jurisdiction.

The data is automatically downloaded from eight sources

According to Antolković, basic data is automatically downloaded from eight official sources, including the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Justice, the State Geodetic Administration, the Croatian Institute of Public Health, the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute and the Croatian Institute of Health Insurance.

Citizens can check their data via the e-Citizens system or by visiting the Tax Administration in person.

“Every citizen can see and check their data and request corrections if something is not recorded or is not correctly entered,” says Antolković.

Possible issuance of education certificates

Antolković stated that citizens will be able to issue various certificates from the register, including data on completed education.

“Your final education is visible, which certificate is in question and which school. You do not have to ask for a certificate from the school or faculty because it will be recorded within the system,” she said.

Citizens can report incorrect data

If data is missing from the register or is recorded incorrectly, citizens can submit a request for verification and correction.

“Within the e-Citizens service, there is a possibility to report data inaccuracies. The message is sent to the data source, which conducts additional checks and makes changes if necessary,” she explained.

She added that changes will not be entered directly into the Central Population Register, but only after they are confirmed by the competent institution that keeps the original records.

Citizens do not have access to property data

Antolković explained that citizens cannot see data about their property in the Central Population Register.

“A citizen does not see property. You see your basic personal data from these sources, so the property is not visible,” she said.

Only authorized users have access

She emphasized that data from the register can be viewed only by authorized users who have a legal basis for doing so and a clearly defined purpose.

“No institution that does not have authorization and a justified legal reason for accessing this data can gain access to this data,” she said.

She added that any data processing must be justified and that users only receive the data they need.

“If an institution only needs a first name, last name, Personal Identification Number and parents' names, that's all they will get. Nothing more than that, she stressed.

Household data important for exercising rights

Explaining why the registry includes data on siblings, Antolković said that many institutions will grant certain rights based on household data.

“It will be seen whose household you are. If someone needs to be added as a household member, a statement will be sent to that effect,” she said.

She reiterated how important it is for citizens to review their data and report any deficiencies or errors.

“I believe it is in everyone's interest for all data to be well recorded, correct and in one place,” she emphasized.

Faster exercise of rights and less administration

Antolković believes that the registry will significantly speed up the procedures for exercising various rights.

“Citizens used to have to walk more, lose more of their free time, and now everything is in one place,” Antolković pointed out.

She added that institutions will also be able to download the necessary data directly from the registry.

“They pull this data from one place and have the entire set of data available to them,” she said.

Access via the e-Citizens system

Citizens can access the register through the e-Citizens system, in the "Active Citizenship" section, using high or significant security level credentials.

For those who do not use e-Citizens, data verification is enabled by visiting a Tax Administration branch office in person.

Every access to data is recorded

Speaking of data protection, Antolković pointed out that the Tax Administration keeps detailed records of all accesses to the register.

“Everything is monitored, everything is recorded. At any moment we can see who viewed whom, why they viewed it, when it was accessed and what the purpose of the access was,” she said.

She emphasized that citizens can only see their own data, while officials and other institutions can only access data that they need to perform tasks within their jurisdiction.

“There is truly maximum data protection to prevent unauthorized access,” she concluded.

Only statistical data publicly available

Antolković emphasized that only statistical data that does not allow for the identification of individuals will be publicly available.

“Neither Personal Identification Number, nor name and surname, nor any data that could identify a person will be published. Strictly and exclusively statistical data will be publicly available,” she said.

As an example, she cited data on the number of inhabitants or the level of education in a particular area.

The data is permanently stored

Speaking about the possibility of deleting data, Antolković said that this is not possible.

“The Law on the Central Population Register defines that all this data is stored permanently. There is absolutely no possibility of deleting this data,” she explained.

She added that no data will be lost or removed from the register.

“All data that has entered it will remain permanently recorded,” she emphasized.

She also addressed citizens' concerns about possible security threats and unauthorized access to data.

“I understand people's fears, but every day we work to protect this data, to verify this data and to maintain its security as much as possible,” she said.

She added that the Tax Administration will continue to protect the system from possible attacks.

“Everything that has been done to ensure that this data is as secure as possible,” she emphasized.

Registry fully accessible

Antolković pointed out that a large number of people from several institutions participated in the establishment of the registry and that this was a project that had been in the works for a long time.

“A large number of people participated in this project, both from our institution and from other data sources,” she said.

She emphasized that the registry has been fully accessible to citizens since June 1.

“Everything has been accessible since June 1. We invite citizens to check their data and report any errors,” she said.

Data available even without e-Citizens

Citizens who do not use the e-Citizens system can check their data at the competent branch of the Tax Administration.

“They just call, identify themselves and request data from the Central Population Registry, and officials will help them and list the data,” says Antolković.

She reiterated that citizens can only have access to their own data, while such an option does not exist for other persons.

“You won't see what your neighbor's life situation is like, nor will you see anyone else you find interesting. Only for yourself,” she said.

Available customer support

For additional information and to report any problems, the Tax Administration customer support is available to citizens.

Antolković reminded that information can be found on the Central Population Register website, via the call center and the "Write to Us" web form, and assistance can also be requested by personally visiting a Tax Administration branch office.

“Our officers will do their best and provide citizens with the support they need,” she said.

Source: HRT