The Federal Ombudsman is an independent and impartial institution that examines complaints about the way the federal administrative authorities act or function.

The institution comprises two ombudspersons:

- Catherine De Bruecker (French speaking federal ombudswoman)

- Guido Schuermans (Dutch speaking federal ombudsman)

The current ombudspersons took up their duties on 8 November 2005.  They are appointed for a period of six years by the House of Representatives, after a selection organised by SELOR (the federal selection office), and are assisted by a team of experienced staff. They are not part of the administration.

Within the scope of their remit, the ombudspersons do not receive instructions from any authority and appoint the staff to assist them in the performance of their duties.

The term Ombudsman is derived from Swedish and means “he who pleads on behalf of another.”