Digital signature

A qualified digital signature is a tool that lets you sign documents electronically, with legal value. For a company it becomes useful fairly quickly, especially if you want to work online with ONRC, ANAF, SPV or e-Invoicing.

It is not the friendliest process, but it is worth doing early, otherwise you end up depending on trips to the counter, powers of attorney, accountants or physical filings.

When you need it

You need, or you will very likely need, a digital signature for:

• filing documents online at ONRC;
• enrolling in and using SPV;
• access to RO e-Invoicing;
• signing the company's documents electronically;
• communicating with ANAF;
• filing some declarations or requests online;
• authorising your accountant or working through a representative.

For e-Invoicing, access goes through SPV, and SPV for legal entities uses a qualified digital certificate for electronic signature. First you get the qualified certificate, then you use it to enrol in and access SPV.

For ONRC, documents can be submitted online through the services portal, and the online interaction uses a qualified electronic signature certificate. See setting up online via ONRC.

The solution used here: CertSIGN

A commonly used option in Romania is CertSIGN. They offer a qualified electronic signature package, either on a physical token or remote (in the cloud), with a signing app included.

The cost changes depending on the product and the period you choose, so the safest thing is to check the price directly on their site before buying. At the time of writing, the remote signature package (Paperless) started at roughly 36-40 € excl. VAT per year for a certificate valid 1 year, with 2- or 3-year options at a better per-year price.

Useful link: CertSIGN, remote electronic signature.

What to expect

The process is not necessarily hard, but it can be annoying. You may have to:

• create an account on the provider's platform;
• place an order for the digital certificate;
• go through identity verification (usually video identification);
• install a signing application;
• configure the token or access to the cloud certificate;
• test the signature on PDF documents;
• use the certificate in SPV, ONRC or other public platforms.

Keep all the data in a safe place: the email used, the passwords, the token PIN, the install instructions, the validity period and the invoice. You can note them in My Own Company Details.

If you work with an accountant

Even if you have your own digital signature, the accountant will often need access to file declarations, work in SPV or handle e-Invoicing.

In practice, if you want to authorise your accountant, you may need a notarised power of attorney or an accepted authorisation for filing documents online and accessing SPV. The SPV access procedure allows you to designate an authorised person, and the content and limits of the representation are set through that authorisation.

This means that, on top of the digital signature, you might still need a trip to the notary to prepare the power of attorney for the accountant.

Practical recommendation

If you are setting up an SRL and want to do things online, get the digital signature early. It will help you at ONRC, SPV, e-Invoicing and other administrative procedures.

If you already have an accountant, ask first:

• whether you sign the documents or the accountant does;
• whether a notarised power of attorney is needed;
• what text must appear in the power of attorney;
• what access must be granted in SPV;
• whether you will use e-Invoicing directly or through the accountant's software;
• who receives the ANAF notifications and messages.

Do not buy the digital signature without knowing how you will use it. But if you have an SRL, you will most likely need it sooner than you think.

Useful resources

• CertSIGN, remote signature: official page.