How do I use hybrid verifiable delivery?

Hybrid proof of delivery allows schools to hand out documents on paper as usual and then store the signed return receipt digitally in the Education Portal. The document itself is signed via the official signature service, and the return receipt is automatically linked to the corresponding document. This keeps the familiar process at the school intact, while all proofs of delivery are stored centrally, completely and accessibly at any time.

Important: Making a document available in the Education Portal, for example in the "Personal archive", does not currently constitute proof of delivery equivalent to a registered letter with return receipt (RSa or RSb). A document only counts as delivered with proof if either the signed paper return receipt is available or the document is sent manually by RSa or RSb letter. Hybrid proof of delivery supports the first of these: handing out and signing happen on paper, while storage and tracking happen digitally.

What are the benefits of hybrid proof of delivery?

• Central overview: You can see at a glance whether a confirmation has actually been received for every document that requires proof of delivery. The school management and persons authorised by them see this school-wide in the "All documents" overview, while each teacher sees it for their own students under "My documents".
• Legal certainty: The return receipt is generated by the system and contains all information required by law. Incomplete or self-designed slips are a thing of the past.
• Nothing gets lost: Signed slips are stored digitally and can no longer disappear in school bags, class registers or filing cabinets.
• Immediate access, even months later: If proof is needed, for example in an appeal procedure, the return receipt can be retrieved from the Education Portal right away. There is no need to search through paper files.

How can the process work at school?

In both variants, the document and return receipt are handed out to the students by a teacher personally, for example the class teacher. This ensures compliance with Section 72(2) of the School Education Act (SchUG). The variants differ in who uploads and prints the documents and who scans the signed return receipts.

Variant 1: Central process via the on-site school administration

1. The on-site school administration uploads the documents, for example from Sokrates, to the Education Portal for signature with the "Proof of delivery" option selected.
2. The school management or a person authorised by them applies the signature.
3. The on-site school administration prints the return receipts for the signed documents and hands them over.
4. The students hand in the signed return receipt.
5. A member of the administrative staff scans all return receipts received, for example once a day, and uploads them as a single PDF file. They are assigned to the individual documents automatically.
6. Missing return receipts are immediately visible in the overviews. The principal as well as authorized staff can check under "All documents" in the Education Portal which students have not yet returned their receipt.

This variant is recommended as a process for the whole school, particularly for larger schools and for periods with many deliveries, such as the end of a semester or school year. Since uploading, signing and printing are coordinated centrally, everyone involved knows when the documents are ready to be handed out. This is especially important for decisions subject to deadlines.

Variant 2: Process handled by the individual teacher

1. The teacher uploads the documents to the Education Portal for signature with the "Proof of delivery" option selected.
2. The school management or a person authorised by them applies the signature.
3. The teacher prints the return receipts and hands them out to the students.
4. The students hand the signed return receipt back to the teacher.
5. The teacher scans the return receipts themselves, usually together as one PDF file using a scanner or multifunction printer. Individual return receipts can also be scanned with a smartphone.

Please note: There may be a period between uploading and signing by the school management or authorised persons that the teacher cannot influence. For decisions subject to deadlines, especially at the end of the school year, the central process in Variant 1 is therefore recommended.

What should I consider regarding deadlines?

Delivery only takes effect once the recipient has accepted the document, as confirmed on the return receipt. Deadlines such as the objection period only start from that point. The longer a return receipt stays with the recipient, the later these deadlines begin.

It is therefore advisable to set a short deadline for returning the receipt. Documents whose return receipt has not been received by then can be delivered by RSb letter. The overviews in the Education Portal show at a glance which documents are still missing a return receipt.

What do I need to consider when uploading the document?

For the Education Portal to expect a return receipt, the "Proof of delivery" option must be selected when uploading the document. Only then is the document marked as "Return receipt pending" and shown as open in the overviews until the return receipt has been received.

If the option was not selected during upload, proof of delivery can still be added for any document afterwards: download the return receipt for the document, print it, hand it out and upload it as usual once it has been signed.

Please note: Downloading a return receipt afterwards does not change the status of the document to "Return receipt pending". Such documents are therefore not shown as open in the overview until the return receipt has been uploaded. For complete tracking, the "Proof of delivery" option should be selected when the document is uploaded.

How do the QR codes on the return receipt work?

Each return receipt contains two QR codes:

• Document QR code (top): This code refers to the corresponding document. It can be used to open the digital original of the document.
• Assignment QR code (bottom): Scanning this code takes you directly to the upload page for the return receipt.

Please make sure that the QR codes are complete, unobstructed and clearly legible when scanning. Return receipts should therefore not be folded, hole-punched or written on across the QR codes.

How are return receipts uploaded?

Bulk upload as a PDF file

1. Scan all signed return receipts into a single PDF file using a scanner or multifunction printer. The order does not matter.
2. Open the "All documents" or "My documents" overview in the Education Portal.
3. Select "Upload return receipts" and upload the PDF file.
4. The Education Portal automatically assigns each page to its document using the QR codes and updates the status of the corresponding entries.

Individual upload of a PDF file

1. Return receipts can also be uploaded individually as PDF files. The process is the same as for the bulk upload.

Individual scan with a smartphone

1. Open the upload page in the Education Portal on your smartphone by scanning the bottom QR code.
2. Capture the signed return receipt completely and legibly in the window shown.
3. The Education Portal automatically assigns the return receipt to its document using the QR code and updates the status of the entry.

Once a return receipt has been recorded, the document is shown as delivered in the overviews. The return receipt can be viewed and downloaded at any time from the respective document.