A petition may be drawn up and signatures collected by a person of any nationality and, in principle, of any age, who has a public or other societal interest in the matter. The minimum age for collecting signatures in a public place is 16. For a petition drawn up by minors to be valid, the petition committee must include at least one person aged 18 or over.
A petition must be submitted in writing, be marked with the word “Petition” and concern a matter of public or other common interest. Further details are governed by the Petition ActOpens in a new window.
Each member of the petition committee must provide their first name, surname and residential address. The representative (the person submitting the petition) must also affix their handwritten signature.
A petition may also be submitted electronically, in which case it must be signed with the representative’s qualified electronic signature.
If a petition is incomplete and its deficiencies are not remedied, the public authority to which it is addressed will set it aside. Special legislation may establish additional requirements, such as a minimum number of supporting signatories or an age requirement.
A person supporting a petition must provide their first name, surname, residential address and signature on the signature sheet. For an electronic petition, the signature may be replaced by an email address, an electronic mailbox address, a qualified electronic signature or confirmation through a petition system (which is not yet available).
Legal entities may also sign petitions.
The outcome of a petition must be communicated in writing within 30 working days of its receipt or, in the case of an incomplete petition, from the date on which its deficiencies are remedied.
In particularly complex cases, the competent public authority shall notify the representative in writing that the petition will be processed within a maximum of 60 working days.
The public authority is required to publish the outcome of the petition on its website, if it has one, and on its electronic official notice board within 10 working days of processing the petition.
