Article 21. Requirements imposed on complaints lodged with the Ombudsman

A complaint lodged with the Ombudsman must have a surname (first name, patronymic) of the complainant, information on place of residence, and, if the complaint is lodged by a legal person, its full name and information on its location (postal address).

Name of the institution, a surname (first name, patronymic) of a public official whose decisions, actions or omissions are being appealed shall be indicated in the complaint, subject matter of the decisions, actions or omissions that, in the opinion of the complainant, infringed his or her rights shall be stated.

Complaints may be lodged in the official or other languages.

A written complaint must be secured by the signature of a complainant or the signature of an authorized representative of a legal person. In the event of impossibility to secure a written complaint by the signature of a complainant, it must be secured by the signature of a writer, with indication of his or her surname (first name, patronymic).

A complaint lodged electronically must comply with the requirements imposed by law.

Complaints in the interests of incompetent and partially incompetent persons may be lodged by their legal representatives in accordance with the procedure establish by the law.

The Ombudsman shall have the right to an own initiative fact-check in the event an information on violations of human rights and freedoms is available or advocating the persons who are unable to use legal remedies on their own.

Existing decisions previously made on a complaint, or copies thereof, as well as other documents necessary for its review can be attached to the complaint; these documents shall not be a subject to return, except for the cases where the complainant submits a written recall application.

Complainants and their representatives may withdraw a complaint prior and while its review, before a decision is made on it, by submitting an application in writing or electronically. An application to withdraw a complaint does not preclude the Ombudsman from taking actions to identify and eradicate violations of law.

A complaint lodged with the Ombudsman shall not be a subject to a state duty.