Under the auspices of the national program “Development and Improvement of Infrastructural Base for Electronic Management”, the OCMA has signed an agreement with “SIA Datorprogrammu Apgads” (DPA), supplier of software and the winner of the supply contract. The subject of the agreement is digitalization of population register and migration file archive. The project is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and co-financed by the state.

The vision of the digitalization project is to develop technical prerequisites that would ensure execution of one of the OCMA’s functions – long-term storage of documents received from individuals (both in hard copy and electronically) related to population register and migration. By creating an electronic archive the OCMA will make sure that the information stored is instantly accessible to authorized personnel and will avoid loss of information that may occur as a result of physical deterioration of paper documents (e.g., yellowing of sheets, fading of ink, etc.). 

By developing an electronic archive, the OCMA will be one of the first institutions to be able to provide long-term storage of files containing electronic signature; their volume is expected to increase significantly with the introduction of certification for electronic signatures in Latvia. 

The project will result in creation of an electronic archive and data storage that will be integrated with other OCMA information systems and will ensure long-term storage of files that will have been received in both paper and electronic format. DPA is charged with development, installation and maintenance of the electronic archive software while its subsidiaries, SIA „Fujitsu Services”, SIA „Komerccentrs DATI grupa” and SIA „Microsoft Latvija”, are responsible for supplying scanners and other hardware, and performing the operating system, browser and database quality assurance. 

The OCMA realizes that the electronic format will not completely replace the paper format shortly; therefore it will not eliminate paper format when dealing with individuals and other institutions. However, the electronic archive will provide the OCMA with a capability for long-term storage of documents received in paper format via digitalization. And with time and development of the e-office infrastructure, the OCMA is determined to encourage other government institutions and individuals to switch to electronic exchange of information in order to save time and resources. 

About the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) 
OCMA (www.pmlp.gov.lv) is a state institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior, and its mandate includes implementation of the state migration policy, including drafting and implementing repatriation and asylum policies, determining the legal status of individuals, maintenance of the Population Register, and issuance of personal identification and travel documents. 

About “Datorprogrammu Apgads” 
“Datorprogrammu Apgads” (www.dpa.lv) was founded in 1997 and is a software distributing and consulting firm. The company distributes, installs and supports various software programs in Latvia and Lithuania, and provides training for users. The lines offered by DPA include products of such companies as Microsoft, Novell, Tilde, McAfee, Symantec, Adobe, SPSS, and others. 

The Company is a Microsoft Gold Partner for resolving particularly complicated infrastructure issues, as well as McAfee Elite Partner, Microsoft Business Solutions Certified Partner and Microsoft Audit Partner in Latvia. DPA represents Latvia Committee as a member organization of the Business Software Alliance.