It's the big day, you have made the decision to continue your digital transformation by switching to electronic signatures! So a question comes to your mind, what will happen to my corporate stamps? You may even be wondering if you will have to print your documents to stamp them before having them signed electronically. So we decided to answer you!

‍

The corporate stamp

First of all, in order to see what happens to the stamp in digital businesses, you need to understand where it comes from and its usefulness.

A business stamp is also called a commercial stamp or seal of recognition for use by a business. The information contained in this commercial stamp is governed by the Labor Code and includes a lot of mandatory information:

  • The name of the company
  • The legal form (SARL, SAS, SA, etc.)
  • Amount of share capital
  • Company address
  • Identification number (SIRET/ SIREN)
  • Contact details (phone number, email address)
  • Ongoing liquidation procedure (if applicable)

Before the All digital, the company stamp made it possible to affix this mandatory information in a simple and fast way to a company's documents. The stamp as an object is therefore not an obligation and has no legal value.

The stamp also poses a safety problem. Many companies produce stamps without requiring any supporting documentation. Since the information on it is public information, anyone can have a stamp in the name of your company. The stamp is therefore not a guarantee of legitimacy, simply of reinsurance for the signatories of a contract.

‍

The electronic signature

The corporate stamp cannot be a substitute for an official signature, which is why having an electronic signature method allows you to dematerialize your processes securely.

The electronic signature is governed by the European eID.as regulation, many requirements are required in order to have a certified electronic signature.

As a reminder, electronic signatures, even so-called “simple” signatures, must at least meet these requirements in order to be certified:

  • The service provider must be certified, he acts as a notary
  • The signing process should allow for reliable dating and timestamp
  • The service provider must constitute a proof path that includes the signatory's IP address, the signatory's contact with the codes sent, etc.
  • The service provider must provide an electronic safe in order to store the evidence path and the document, thus proving its integrity.

Do you have an electronic signature project? Contact us.

NB: This document is provided for information purposes only. We do not guarantee the completeness of the information, nor that it is up to date with applicable regulations. Finally, the information given can in no way be a substitute for legal advice.

‍