Contacts and channels
Writing to a public authority
What differs from writing to a company, and what to keep either way.
Writing to a public body differs fundamentally from writing to a company: there is usually a mandatory formal channel, and using another does not count. The email you sent the case officer may have served to talk, but not to submit.
The two channels, and what each is for
| Channel | What it is for | What remains |
|---|---|---|
| Formal (registry, portal, platform) | Submitting, responding, meeting a deadline | A receipt with date and number |
| Informal (email, phone) | Clarifying, asking, speeding things up | Whatever you keep |
Important
The formal receipt is the important document, more than what was submitted. It is the only thing proving it arrived and when, and it is exactly what belongs in the file next to what you sent.
What to keep from each procedure
- 1
What was submitted, exactly as submitted
Not the working draft: the exact file that went.
- 2
The receipt, with its number and date
It is what will be asked for if the deadline is disputed.
- 3
Their reply, in the same file
Including requests for further information, which usually run short.
- 4
And relevant informal conversations
A line with the date and what was said; not formal evidence, but it orients.
Watch out
The costliest failure is a notification landing in a mailbox nobody watches. Deadlines run regardless, and many are ten days. Notifications should reach somewhere with an owner, not a generic address created years ago.
When several procedures run at once
That last point prevents silence: when a third party handles a procedure, both sides easily assume the other is responding.
Worth knowing
If your advisers file on your behalf, ask for the receipt and keep it yourselves. It is not distrust: the deadline is yours, and so is the consequence of not being able to prove it.
›Is email valid for submitting?
Unless the body expressly accepts it, no.
›What if their system fails?
Keep dated evidence of the attempt; it is usually provided for.
›Should submissions be sealed?
The receipt gives the date; sealing the sent file adds proof of content.
A real case
The situation
A company receives an official request in a generic mailbox and finds out late.
What you do
- Routes notifications to a file with an owner
- Keeps the receipt and reply for each procedure
What you get
Deadlines stop depending on someone checking a mailbox that belongs to nobody.
The situation
A public body is written to through a channel they do not monitor.
What you do
- Checks the official channel before writing
What you get
The submission reaches where it is processed.
The situation
There is no record of having filed something.
What you do
- Keeps the filing receipt
What you get
The filing is demonstrable.
The situation
Filing happens out of time through miscalculation.
What you do
- Records the deadline with its own warning
What you get
The margin does not depend on remembering.
The situation
A document is missing and it is discovered on filing.
What you do
- Checks what is missing in advance
What you get
The gap closes with time to spare.
The situation
A reply arrives and nobody attaches it to the file.
What you do
- Files the reply with what was submitted
What you get
The file explains itself.
This article answers
- communicating with a public authority
- electronic registry receipt
- submitting documents to an authority
- keeping an official acknowledgement