Electronic signing is referred to by the acronym eSign. A person can electronically sign a document with eSign by providing their phone number and email address. By activating an OTP that is delivered to the signer's email ID and phone number, Certinal, an eSign Service Provider, enables anyone to electronically sign documents. Additionally, Certinal offers a advanced and qualified signature solutions based on dongles that utilize digital signature certificates (DSC).
A digital signature is a type of electronic signature that can be used to verify the identity of the person sending a message or signing a document as well as to guarantee that the message's or document's original content hasn't changed. Digital signatures are portable and impossible for anyone to forge. The sender cannot simply deny the communication later if it can be verified that the initial signed message actually arrived.
Yes, eSign is accepted for the majority of documents and is legally legitimate. The Information Technology Act of 2000, UETA, EUiDAS and UKeIDAS all state that for the majority documents, eSign is accepted and has the same legal force as a handwritten signature. The questions below include a list of the types of papers that eSign cannot be used to sign. The eSignature and Dongle-based Digital Signature Certificate are recognized by all the above mentioned laws.
Any person with an email ID and a phone number can use eSign. The person has to be 18 years old to make a valid signature unless acceptable otherwise in a special scenario.
When it comes to a company or an organization, a person who is authorized by the company/organization can electronically sign a document using eSign. In order to become an authorized person, the company needs to pass a board resolution permitting the person to sign documents on its behalf. It is required that the board resolution must be documented and the person must consent to sign the document on behalf of the company.
The electronic equivalent of a physical or paper certificate, such as a driver's license or passport, is a digital signature certificate (DSC). Certificates are used to prove a person's identity for certain purposes; for instance, a passport demonstrates that a person is a citizen of the issuing nation and is therefore authorized to travel to any other nation. Similarly, you can use a digital signature certificate to sign certain papers and access information or services online by presenting it electronically.
Digital signature certificates can be used for the following things:
- For email communication that is both encrypted and digitally signed
- To identify additional web-based transaction participants or to conduct secure web-based transactions.
- In several applications, including eTendering, eProcurement, MCA (for Registrar of Companies, efiling), Income Tax (for efiling income tax returns), and many others.
- For signing documents like PDFs, MS Word, and MS Excel.
- It is essential to establishing a paperless office.
A reputable organization called a "Certifying Authority" is in charge of issuing, revoking, renewing, and providing directories for digital signature certificates. "Certifying Authority" is defined as a person by Section 24 of the Information Technology Act 2000 as someone who has been given permission to issue Digital Signature Certificates.
A Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) that is incorporated in the USB Token is necessary for the signature-based use of it. To electronically and repeatedly sign documents, one can access it using a computer. PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) is used by the dongle-based signature system to create signatures.
Companies and organizations gain from electronic signatures in the following ways:
- Saves time and money on operations
- Prevents fraud and forgery
- Secures the transaction from any foreseeable disagreement or hazard
- Reduces paper use, which benefits the environment; and offers a great deal of convenience because papers can be retrieved remotely
The initiator adds the signer(s) by entering their email ID and phone number and uploads the paper to Certinal. The signer's email ID receives a request to sign the paper. After carefully reading the document, the signer agrees to sign it. The system then produces an OTP and sends it to the signer's phone number and email address. The electronic signature is formed on the document after inputting the OTP. The signed document also receives an audit trail and a Certificate of Signature Completion.
Forever. Your eSignature is equally as legally binding as a handwritten signature and is forever.