Administrative Law and Administrative Procedure
Core concepts
The Administrative Procedure Code (АПК) supplies the general regime for issuing, appealing and executing administrative acts. Master the definition of an individual administrative act (an authoritative unilateral declaration binding on addressees), the distinction from a general (normative) act, and the requirements of form, motivation and competence. Learn the phases of procedure: initiation, preparation, the act itself, service, and entry into force. Know the general administrative act and the normative act, and the rule that only individual acts are challenged by administrative appeal. Learn the types of appeal: administrative review before a higher administrative body, and judicial review before the administrative court. Know the grounds for annulment (lack of competence, material breach of procedure, contradiction with substantive law, disproportion) and the grounds for declaring nullity. Learn service of documents: personal service, service by post with acknowledgement, electronic service, deemed service, and the moment from which time limits run. Know the rules on suspensive effect, interim measures, and execution.
Traps
Examiners test whether the time limit runs from service or from knowledge, whether an appeal suspends execution, which court has jurisdiction, and whether a defect causes nullity or mere voidability. Watch for questions mixing the administrative appeal (before a higher body) with the judicial appeal (before the court).
Worked example
A citizen receives a decision by post with an acknowledgement dated 3 March. The appeal deadline runs from the date of service, not from the date of the decision; if the period is 14 days, count the first day after service and stop at the end of the fourteenth day.
Rule of thumb
Identify the act, its author, its addressee, the service date, then the remedy and its deadline.