Any person using the information, documents, products, software and various services (collectively described as the 'Services') offered by 'De Guichet' is deemed to have read and accepted all the terms and statements in these general terms and conditions of use.

Definition and objective

1. De Guichet (the ''Guichet'') is a website which provides Services with the aim of facilitating your access to clear and simple information covering each stage of the daily life of a citizen or business, and simplifying administrative procedures.

2. The 'Guichet' is divided into 2 parts: one part is purely informative, and the other part is interactive, and allows you to carry out all or part of your administrative procedures directly online. The 'Guichet' is aimed at 2 distinct types of users, clearly divided into 2 sections: private individuals ('Citizens' section) and professionals ('Businesses' section).

3. The use of the 'Guichet' is optional. You can still contact the relevant administration directly in order to process your request. The objective of the 'Guichet' is to facilitate contact between citizens or businesses and the relevant administrative bodies, but the 'Guichet' does not replace the applicable administrative procedures, and each administrative body will continue to handle the procedures carried out on the 'Guichet' in accordance with the legislation and regulations in force.

Persons who may access the 'Guichet'

4. In order to access the secure interactive section of the 'Guichet', you must be at least 18 years old, or an emancipated minor over 16 years old.

5. You can only complete an application or form on behalf of a third party if you are their legal representative or if you have expressly received their authorisation.

Prerequisites to connect to the secure interactive section of the 'Guichet'

6. You must have an internet connection and browser to use the secure interactive section of the Single 'Guichet'. The recommended browsers for Windows are Internet Explorer (versions 7 and 8) and Mozilla Firefox (versions 2 and 3). The recommended browser for Mac OS is Mozilla Firefox (versions 2 and 3). If you use other browsers or versions, you may encounter various problems for which helpdesk support cannot be provided. Therefore, we recommend you install:

• either the latest version of Internet Explorer;
• or the latest version of Mozilla Firefox.

In any case, please ensure that your browser accepts session cookies and Javascript.

In order to view and complete PDF files, Adobe Acrobat® Reader® must be installed on your computer. In order to avoid problems related to viewing, completing or printing PDF files, make sure you use Adobe version 9.0 or higher. If you use older versions, you may encounter various problems for which helpdesk support cannot be provided.

Free download of the most recent version of Acrobat® Reader®.

7. Before using the secure interactive section of the 'Guichet' you must have an electronic certificate issued by LuxTrust, the certification authority. This certificate enables you to authenticate your identity and electronic signature for your applications or forms in a legal and valid manner:

• to access the secure interactive section on the 'Citizens' 'Guichet' (to carry out your personal procedures), you must have a LuxTrust Private electronic certificate;
• to access the secure interactive section on the 'Businesses' 'Guichet' (to carry out your professional procedures), you must have a LuxTrust Pro electronic certificate.

For more information on LuxTrust certificates, on how to obtain them and on existing solutions, please contact LuxTrust S.A. directly at the following address:

LuxTrust S.A.
IVY Building
13-15 Parc d’Activités
L-8308 Capellen

Postal address:
LuxTrust S.A.
BP 43
L-2010 Luxembourg

E-mail Helpdesk: helpdesk@luxtrust.lu
or consult www.luxtrust.lu

The use of LuxTrust certificates is subject to the terms and conditions of use provided by LuxTrust S.A.

Using the Services

8. First, you can select the type of procedure in the informative section of the 'Guichet' from the list of procedures available for each topic or subtopic. A procedure may involve a registration, a declaration, filling in a form, returning or submitting a document electronically or transmitting a piece of information.

9. Certain procedures may be carried out directly online using online assistants. An online assistant will guide you through the stages relevant to your situation, taking into account the information you provide.

10. If you do not have a LuxTrust certificate, the online assistant will only generate the form(s) completed according to the information you provided, as well as a list of additional documents. You will then have to print and sign the form, then send it by post with the necessary documents to the relevant administrative body.

11. In certain cases, the online assistant may not be able to act on your request, and will therefore invite you to contact the relevant administrative body directly.

12. If you have a LuxTrust Private certificate, you benefit from a 'Personal platform'. This function gives you the option of saving personal information. Therefore, each time you use an online assistant you will not have to type in your data again, and certain forms may be filled in automatically. Messages are sent by the administrative body to your 'Personal platform', thereby enabling you to track the status of your files that were processed using online assistants on the 'Guichet'.

13. In the context of your procedures, you can send a copy of certain requested supporting documents electronically in PDF format to the relevant administrative body, using the electronic document transfer function.

14. Before generating a form, the online assistant will show you a summary of your application, allowing you to check, amend or correct the data you previously provided.

15. When a signature is required, your electronic signature must be affixed to the electronic form.

16. When you send your form or completed file electronically (form, annexes and supporting documentation), the information you have provided is saved and sent directly to the relevant administrative body. The IT system marks the file sent via the 'Guichet' with an electronic 'timestamp' stating and confirming the date and time the file was received by the relevant administrative body. It is not possible to cancel or amend, via the 'Guichet', a file that has been sent in this way to the relevant administrative body. Any cancellation or amendment must be requested from the administrative body in question.

User obligations

17. Access to the 'Guichet' is gained via the internet. You declare to have taken note of the risks and accepted them. You must protect your computer against internet piracy by using an adapted and secure IT configuration, notably a firewall and a regularly updated anti-virus program. The State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is not liable for any damage incurred directly or indirectly as a result of browsing the 'Guichet'.

18. You undertake to provide only correct, up-to-date and complete information, especially when carrying out a procedure on behalf of a third party. If this is not the case, the State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg reserves the right to suspend or terminate your access to the 'Guichet' without notice, and to initiate civil and/or criminal proceedings against you.

Amendments to the 'Guichet'

19. The State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg reserves the right to develop, amend or suspend the 'Guichet, without notice, for reasons related to maintenance, updates, or for any other reason deemed necessary. The State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg may in particular withdraw, add, complete or clarify all or part of the information and Services contained on or offered by the 'Guichet' at any moment. The State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg cannot be held responsible for any damage caused directly or indirectly by these modifications.

General limitations of liability

20. The State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will make every effort to ensure the 'Guichet' remains available at all times. However, it shall not be held liable if the 'Guichet' is temporarily or completely unavailable, in particular given that users still have the option to carry out their administrative procedures directly at the relevant administrative body.

21.The State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will make every effort to guarantee the security of the IT system and the confidentiality of your data.

22. The State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will make every effort to guarantee the accuracy of the information or Services on the 'Guichet', and of the advice and information provided by the helpdesk. However, it shall not be held liable for errors in manipulating the system or encoding entry, for inaccuracies or shortcomings in the information provided, or for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions in the responses provided by the helpdesk. In fact, the objective is to provide accurate and up-to-date information from various sources, however the State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg cannot guarantee that all material error shall be avoided. As the 'Guichet' is not a replacement for the administrative procedures, no payment or compensation may be claimed by users of the 'Guichet' if the competent administrative body requests additional information in relation to the electronic service or if the competent administrative body, acting within its scope of responsibility, does not give a favourable response to a request processed on the 'Guichet'. None of the information published on the 'Guichet' or provided by the helpdesk in response to an individual request should be considered as exhaustive or as a commitment from the State of Luxembourg. The simplifications and translations are for information purposes only. Any support given when completing a declaration or a procedure of any type is also for information purposes only and the resulting information must be verified and corrected by the user if necessary. Only officially published legal texts are considered as authentic. Certain presentations are based on hypotheses and only represent a partial or simplified version of the facts. In case of any doubt, it is strongly recommended to consult the relevant administrative body before drawing definitive conclusions.

Amendments to the general terms and conditions of use

23. These general terms and conditions of use may be amended or completed at any time, without notice, in line with any changes made to the 'Guichet', any developments regarding legislation or for any other reason deemed necessary. It is the user's responsibility to familiarise himself with the general terms and conditions of use of the 'Guichet', for which only the version accessible online is legally binding. The general terms and conditions of use may be amended at any time, and therefore it is up to the user to properly read these sections each time he uses the interactive section of the 'Guichet'.

Data protection

24. Any personal data entered on the 'Guichet' ('data') is processed in accordance with the amended Law of 2 August 2002 on the protection of individuals regarding the processing of personal data ('the law on data protection').

25. You may be asked to provide certain data such as your name, postal address, e-mail address, your country and commune of residence or any other information that you disclose to us on the forms.

26. The data will only be processed to allow you to use the various tools for information purposes and to carry out the administrative procedures requested. Your data may be made anonymous for statistical or historical purposes. It cannot be used for commercial purposes or in any other capacity. Communicating data is optional but certain tools on the 'Guichet' cannot be used unless certain data has been provided.

27. The IP address of your computer is automatically saved and stored by the system. However, this information will not be used, except in special circumstances and within the limits of the laws in force, for example in the context of a judicial inquiry.

28. Your data will be communicated to the relevant administrative body in order to provide you with the requested Service(s). However, your data may also be transferred to other bodies, with your prior approval, or if such a transfer of information is made complusory by the law or a competent administrative body.

29. Your data will be stored as long as necessary to provide you with the requested Service(s) and to respect legal prescription periods. The State Information Technology Centre (Centre des technologies de l'information de l'Etat) stores the data entered in the interactive section of the 'Guichet' on behalf of the relevant administrative bodies.

30. The State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg takes all necessary precautions to guarantee data security, while taking into account the varying degrees of sensitivity of the data. However, it cannot discount all risks associated with the use of the internet.

31. In accordance with the law on data protection, you have the right to access, amend or object to any data processing which affects you. To exercise these right, you can contact the State Information Technology Centre regarding data processed on your personal platform, or the competent administrative body for the data processed for your administrative procedures. Applications to the State Information Technology Centre must only be sent by post to:

Centre des technologies de l'information de l'Etat
1, rue Mercier
B.P. 1111
L-1011 Luxembourg

Intellectual property

32. The 'Guichet', all its elements (including the layout) and the information and Services are protected by intellectual property laws, in particular the amended law of 18 April 2001 on copyright, related rights and databases, and the Benelux convention on intellectual property.

33. Except if indicated otherwise, the State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will not grant any licences or authorisations related to intellectual property rights that it holds with regard to the 'Guichet', its elements or Services. Furthermore, the total or partial reproduction of the information or Services, in whatever form and by whatever means, is permitted only with the prior written approval of the Ministry of the Civil Service and Administrative Reform (Ministère de la Fonction publique et de la Réforme administrative).

34. Except if indicated otherwise in any other place on the 'Guichet', you are authorised to consult, download and print the documents and information available under the following conditions:

• the documents may only be used in a personal capacity, for information purposes and in a strictly private context;
• the documents and information may not be altered in any way;
• the documents and information may not be distributed outside the 'Guichet'.

35. The aforementioned rights which are implicitly or explicitly granted to you are an authorisation of use, and under no circumstances a transfer of rights, property or other elements related to the 'Guichet'.

Hypertext links and related sites

36. Except if expressly authorised by the State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (authorisation to be requested from the Ministry of the Civil Service and Administrative Reform), only surface links (stating the 'Guichet''s URL only), as opposed to deep links, to the 'Guichet''s homepage are permitted.

37. Except if expressly authorised by the State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (authorisation to be requested from the Ministry of the Civil Service and Administrative Reform), the 'Guichet' may not be integrated in any way, in part or as a whole, into another website, for example by means of framing or inlining.

38. For your convenience, the 'Guichet' may contain links to other sites which may be useful or of interest to you. The State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and more specifically the Ministry of the Civil Service and Administrative Reform, does not systematically control the content of these sites and cannot be held responsible for said content. Therefore, it cannot be held liable for the contents of other internet sites, either for their legality or for the accuracy of the information contained in them.

Applicable laws and competent jurisdictions

Any dispute arising from the use of the 'Guichet' is governed by Luxembourg law and comes under the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

General terms and conditions of use - version 4.0