Efficient administration with electronic signatures

Electronic Signature Concept

Due to the pandemic, the need for digital services, home office, and digital communication with citizens in public administration has increased since 2020. However, signatures are still required for most digital workflows, especially in public authorities and administrative processes. This means that dealing with electronic signatures is unavoidable.

An electronic signature (also known as an e-signature) is a digital way of obtaining a signatory's consent to a contract, form, or agreement. This can be done, for example, by using buttons, signing on a touchpad, typing a name into a form, or inserting a graphic. It is important to note that there are three types of electronic signatures. You can find out more about the qualified electronic signature (QES) as the most secure form and highest level of electronic identification here:

Electronic Signature: Legally Binding in the EU​

In recent years, the basic requirements for digital work processes have also changed for public authorities and administrations. The EU has focused on user-friendliness in dealing with electronic signatures and has made the so-called remote signature possible with the European Regulation on Electronic Identification and Trust Services (eIDAS).

In the meantime, digital signatures or electronic signatures are legally binding throughout the European Union. They have the legal validity of a handwritten signature. In addition, these digital documents can carry further information such as time stamps. Another advantage of this digital way of working is that the documents cannot be lost and cannot be passed on to others. Furthermore, electronic signatures are permanently readable.

Conversion to digital administration​

Greater efficiency and less bureaucracy in the day-to-day work of public authorities is an important goal that has gained high priority in public administrations. Work is being carried out intensively to convert traditional procedures into digital processes.

One of the most important components is the introduction of digital signatures and seals. This also involves implementing the Online Access Act (OZG) and the E-Government Act:

Unfortunately, many permits and applications are still only available as forms that citizens must print in order to sign. There is still room for improvement here, and this is particularly frustrating because some documents are printed solely for the signature. As a result, the digital process is not carried through consistently, and the real benefits of electronic signatures are not fully used.

Advantages of electronic signatures in administration​

  • More efficient and faster work
  • Several devices are not involved as is the case with manual signatures (printer, fax, scanner).
  • The documents cannot be lost or passed on and are permanently legible and can be found quickly
  • There is no need for postage and paper, which also has ecological advantages.
  • Especially when several signatures are required, the digital process saves a lot of time and effort.
  • When using electronic signatures, all employees receive the digital documents at the same time, which further accelerates the overall process.
  • Reduction of bureaucracy
  • Documents can be transmitted without media discontinuity and processed by machine

With the introduction of electronic signatures, high overall costs can be saved in any case, as processes run faster and more efficiently. When manual signatures are no longer necessary, transactions can now take a few minutes when they would otherwise have taken several days.