How to create an electronic signature step by step: Application, installation and procedure

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Are you thinking about how to create an electronic signature? You may be surprised, but the process and installation of an electronic signature will only cost you a few clicks. Applying it in practice will make many processes easier, saving you time and often money. The digital era is in full swing, and more people are discovering the benefits of e-signatures. Before we know it, it will soon become a part of everyone’s everyday life, and we will wonder how we could have lived without this useful tool, and how much time we spent running around offices or companies.

For many of us, signing electronic documents on a regular basis is no longer news. If you have not yet encountered electronic signing of documents in your practical life, sooner or later you will certainly not miss it. It is a rising trend that brings streamlining, simplification and speeding up to business and civil law processes. A fundamental attribute for any electronic signing is the creation and use of an electronic signature. Therefore, in the current article, we will take a step-by-step look at an easy way to create an electronic signature through the NFQES.com platform.

Legal framework for electronic signature

The legal framework for the use of electronic signatures is provided by Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC (“the Regulation”). The Regulation in question is the result of legislators’ efforts to build trust in the online environment, which has become an integral part of our personal and professional lives in recent periods.

The repealed Directive 1999/93/EC also covered electronic signatures in the past, but lacked a comprehensive cross-border and cross-sectoral legal framework to enable secure, trustworthy and efficient electronic transactions. Today, e-signatures are increasingly used not only by businesses across the world, but also by consumers, public authorities and other institutions. Meanwhile, the benefits associated with electronic transactions and e-signatures clearly show the number of entities, and the frequency of use of this method of handling official, corporate, and personal matters will continue to trend upwards in the future.

The subject matter of the regulation includes the following basic pillars for the electronic signing of documents:

• legally regulates and lays down the conditions under which Member States recognize means of electronic identification of natural and legal persons,
• lays down rules for trust services, in particular electronic transactions,
• establishes the legal framework for electronic signature, electronic seal, electronic time seal and certification services for web authentication.

Did you know that? ..
..in 2020, the e-signature market will reach $2.8 billion. Since then, the number of global transactions worldwide has increased from 89 million to 754 million.

The Regulation distinguishes between different levels of electronic signatures:

Simple electronic signature

A simple electronic signature is sometimes referred to as a digital signature. This electronic signature is based on the electronic data associated with a document and is used to verify the identity of the person who signed the document. Thus, essentially anything that replaces a traditional written signature in digital form can be considered a simple electronic signature.

Electronic signature

An electronic signature is the basic level of authentication of a natural person. The Regulation refers to this signature as an electronic signature without qualified status, and it is one level below an advanced electronic signature with qualified status. This means that this electronic signature is a suitable candidate for signing documents that do not require such a high level of legal certainty.

Advanced electronic signature

This signature already provides a higher level of legal certainty and security. It uses special certificates issued by the relevant certification authority, which ensures proof of the person’s signature. Additionally, the enhanced electronic signature ensures the irrevocability of the signature.

Qualified electronic signature (QES)

A qualified electronic signature (also abbreviated as QES) represents the highest level of electronic signature. Qualified electronic certificates issued by trusted service providers are used to create it. A QES allows the user to uniquely:

• verify the identity of the signatory,
• demonstrate that the signed documents are unalterable at the time they are signed,
• thanks to this, the signed entity cannot claim that they did not create the signature themselves.

A qualified electronic signature has the same legal force as a handwritten signature on paper, and if it contains a timestamp, it has the same legal force as a notarized signature. A QES bearing a qualified time stamp cannot thus be rejected as evidence in court.

What is an electronic signature??

The Regulation defines an electronic signature in its Article 4(10) as data in electronic form which is attached to or logically associated with other data in electronic form and which is used by the signatory for signing.

An online electronic signature (commonly referred to as an e-signature) brings the following benefits to users:

• lower administrative costs,
• reducing the time needed to obtain signatures on documents and deeds,
• overall streamlining and improvement of the user and customer experience.

Did you know that? ..
..statistics show that businesses in the United States of America (USA) spend more than $120 billion annually on the use of paper documents, even though most of these documents are outdated within 3 months. Therefore, switching to electronic signatures has already helped many businesses and companies to significantly optimize the money spent on these purposes.

 

How to easily create an electronic signature using the NFQES.com platform

The NFQES platform provides interested parties with the opportunity to quickly and easily create an electronic signature. Many may wonder whether creating an e-signature has broader relevance in their practical lives. Given the growing trend of handling personal, business, and official matters via online services, there is a high expectation that in the not-too-distant future, most people will have their own electronic signature.

How to activate an electronic signature?

Electronic signing is a modern, secure, fast, efficient and environmentally friendly way of signing documents. Through the NFQES platform, interested parties can purchase electronic certificates at all levels and use electronic signatures with or without a card. For example, a digital signature is a modern and secure form of e-signature that replaces the traditional paper signature and speeds up processes in today’s digital world.

Obtaining a digital signature requires minimal time and effort, and it is free.

1. Just register at zone.nfqes.com.
2. Pri podpisovaní sa prihlásite na zone.nfqes.com.
3. The last step is to press the sign button.

TIP: In the NFQES platform you get unlimited free digital signatures, 50 time stamps and unlimited ID signatures.

Electronic signature – the procedure for obtaining it in steps

If you are interested in additional levels of electronic signature, the procedure for obtaining them is as follows:

1. Purchase and activation: if you choose, for example, an electronic signature with a card, you can use it if you are:
   • a natural or legal person,
   • mandatary,
   • a public institution.

   All the necessary information can be found in our client area, where detailed information about the individual certificates is also available. These will help you in deciding which type of certificate is most suitable for you. If you are unsure, you can use our free consultation service; we will be happy to help you with everything.

2. Uploading certificates:: after the activation is complete, it is your turn to upload the selected certificate types to the Smart card.

Did you know that? ..
..signing with an e-signature without a card is a practical solution not only because you don’t have to carry a physical card with you everywhere, but also because you can use the relevant certificates on all electronic devices, including your mobile phone.

 

Electronic signature in practice – installation, application, use

However, the easy availability and installation of electronic signatures are not the only benefits of this tool. When an electronic signature is accompanied by certificates, it also provides users with greater security in practice, and a qualified electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature under the Regulation, which means that it can also be used as relevant evidence in a court of law.

The application practice is already showing a growing interest in this form of signing documents, deeds, contracts and other written materials in all areas of life, in e-mail communication, in signing personal documents, any contractual documentation, other corporate business documents, as well as signing various agreements, applications, declarations and other materials used in business, but also in other areas of our lives.

Use of individual e-signatures in practical life:

1. Simple electronic signature and its possibilities of use:
   • internal communication, where such a signature ensures the authenticity and inviolability of internal documents or messages,
   • the conclusion of contracts, tin particular less binding contracts, which do not require authentication and document integrity verification,
   • performing digital transactions, such as changing your operator’s tariff or simple verification at a branch, etc.
2. Electronic signature and possibilities of its use:
   • signing personal documents, consent to the processing of personal data,
   • for email communications where recipient authentication is appropriate to prevent the receipt of fraudulent emails,
   • signing contracts and contractual documentation with a basic level of authentication,
   • signing various electronic applications, such as agreements or contracts, that do not yet require a qualified electronic signature.
3. Advanced electronic signature and its possibilities of use:
   • signing business correspondence, which may include, for example, sales contracts, official documents or other contractual documentation,
   • signing all types of contracts such as purchase contracts, lease contracts, cooperation contracts, loan contracts, credit agreements, leasing contracts,
   • international transactions in compliance with the rewritten international standards and relevant legal provisions.
4. Qualified electronic signature (QES) and its use:
   • all legal acts, signing any legally important documents requiring the highest degree of authenticity,
   • communication with state authorities, institutions and organizations, as well as public authorities, which you can use for example, when filing tax returns, in customs proceedings, when filing with the commercial register and others,
   • communication between companies, customers, business partners, intra-company communication and other private sector tasks. /li>

The use of electronic signatures in practical life also brings the following advantages to users:

• Speed, simplicity and efficiency – e-signature also enables the signing of documents in an online environment, which reduces the overall time-consuming nature of the processes involved,
• Remote collaboration – Electronic signatures allow individuals located in different locations and regions around the world to sign documents without the need to physically meet, significantly shrinking the world and globalizing international collaboration not only in business and trade, but also in any other communication and interaction,
• Security and reliability – The NFQES platform records and stores evidence of all completed transactions, further enhancing the credibility of these transactions and ensuring that the electronic signature remains unchanged,
• Availability and document management – all activities related to signing documents are handled by users in one place,
• Lower administrative costs – eliminating the printing of documents, various written materials and documents, scanning and physical transportation of printed documents ensures greater clarity, fluidity and transparency of the processes involved and significantly reduces the overall costs incurred,
• Friendly approach to the environment – an equally important attribute of using electronic services, including electronic document signing, contributes to greater environmental protection and an overall reduction in the planet’s ecological footprint.