EDS. Application form for obtaining an electronic digital signature

Until relatively recently, electronic documents without a “live” signature and seal had no legal force. But since at some point computer files almost completely replaced ordinary paper documents, the question naturally arose: how to give these files legitimacy and legal significance? Thus, a special digital signature has appeared, thanks to which documents created electronically can be sent to any authority without printing them, and there they will be accepted for consideration along with real paper documents.

to transfer the right to use an electronic signature to another person during his absence ?

Why do you need an EP?

We usually sign contracts in person. This is convenient if the counterparty lives in the same city. But when partners are located in other cities across the country, we have to exchange scans by email or send originals by mail. It takes time. And if you send documents by courier, this is also an additional cost. Having issued an electronic signature, you can sign documents in a few clicks.

Electronic signature allows you to completely abandon paper documents and work online:

establish electronic document flow with counterparties, remote employees and the state;
do not waste time on printing and sending documents to other cities and countries;
do not pay for the delivery of documents to contractors and employees;
participate in government procurement and electronic auctions;
remotely register transactions for the purchase and sale of offices, retail space and other commercial real estate;
be confident in the legal validity of transactions;
submit reports in the Unified State Automated Information System (for those involved in the purchase and sale of alcohol);
travel around the world and not think about exchanging paper documents.

How does EP work?

Let's say you sent a contract to your counterparty for signature by email. You can use an electronic signature, and then you won’t have to meet in person.

An electronic signature that consists of a public and private key.
The “key” is in this case a small program written on a flash card. The public key
encrypts information: it is available to both the entrepreneur and the person with whom he signs the document, that is, the counterparty.
The private key
, on the contrary, decrypts the data and is owned only by the entrepreneur - no one else should know it. The private and public keys are recorded on a flash drive: if it is lost, the electronic signature will have to be reissued.

The keys are stored on a flash drive. First they sign the document with the public key, then with the private key

First, partners in a special program generate public keys and exchange them by email, messenger or other method. By opening this key in a special program, you can see who it was issued to and until what period it is valid - this allows you to make sure that both electronic signatures are valid and belong to exactly the people who must sign the document. After this, the entrepreneur and the counterparty sign the agreement with private keys. Such keys are stored in a safe place, and access to them must be protected by a password that only the owner of the electronic signature knows.

The electronic document may look different on an electronic document. Sometimes this is a graphic picture with the signature of the responsible person and the seal of the company

The electronic signature can be in the form of a stamp that contains data about the owner of the certificate and its validity period, or invisible.
After signing the document with private keys, a new file appears on the partners’ computers - it confirms that the agreement has been signed by digital signature, has legal force and cannot be amended .

A document signed with an electronic signature usually has the same name as the source file, but with a .sig or .sgn extension

If, after signing, someone changes the document, the program will recognize the signature as invalid. In accordance with the Federal Law “On Electronic Signatures” N 63-FZ, an electronic signature can be of three types: simple, unqualified and qualified.

Digital signature from a technical point of view

If you look at an electronic signature from a technical perspective, you will find that it is essentially a special sequence of characters encrypted in a document. Moreover, the signature can be located either inside an electronic file or as a separate application.

By law, there are three types of digital signatures:

Simple . In this case, it serves a completely obvious and banal purpose: proof that the document was written and transmitted by a certain person;
Reinforced unskilled . In addition to confirming authorship, it indicates that no edits or changes were made to the already written document;
Reinforced qualified . This is the most complex type of signature, which is issued in special Certification Centers that have permission from the Ministry of Communications of the Russian Federation. These centers are located in almost all major cities of the country and their list can be easily found on the official website of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications. We can say that this signature is of official origin and only it is suitable for certifying documents sent to government bodies, such as the Federal Tax Service and various extra-budgetary funds.

For your information . When registering an electronic digital signature at an accredited Certification Center, the user receives two types of keys: private and public. The owner must transfer the public key to all organizations and individuals with whom digital documents will be exchanged, and its analogue is given for storage to the Certification Center (thus ensuring the safety of the key and its inaccessibility to intruders). The private key remains in the hands of the owner and serves to confirm documents and ensure that they are sent to recipients.

The last third type of signature is precisely the most correct from the point of view of legal practice. An enhanced qualified digital signature completely replaces the handwritten counterpart and even the organization’s seal. This is what is required when sending documentary reports to the tax authorities, pension fund and other government agencies. However, the value of other types of electronic signatures should not be diminished - they are quite suitable for certifying various business transactions, if this is provided for by the internal regulations of the organization.

Important! Any, even the simplest digital electronic signature, is practically impossible to fake. To carry out the forgery, it would be necessary to perform a huge number of cumbersome calculations, which, even at current computer speeds, would take a lot of time. That is why, despite the fact that manufacturers offer insurance, it is not at all advisable to do so.

Simple and unqualified electronic signature

A simple electronic signature is a login and password that is used to enter the site or a unique code that comes in a message.
An unqualified electronic signature is a more reliable version of a signature with a public and private key, which allows you to transform documents using cryptographic encryption. Such signatures are suitable for exchanging primary documents with counterparties. Usually they enter into an agreement that the electronic signature is equal to the physical one. A standard form of such an agreement. But simple and qualified signatures are not suitable for all documents. For example, they cannot sign papers containing state secrets. Evgenia Bazhanova, procurement specialist at Concordia law firm

Often, electronic document management does not require specially obtaining a non-qualified electronic signature. Before connecting to the system, it is better to check with the operator whether an electronic signature key and an electronic signature verification key are built into it. An electronic signature verification key certificate can also be built into the system. For example, this most often happens with banking software and the “Bank-Client” online service.

Procedure for obtaining a digital signature

As with any other interaction with official government agencies, there is a proven algorithm of actions. In this case, it consists of five steps.

Submitting an application along with all the necessary documents. This can be done via the Internet online;
Receiving a receipt for payment and paying it;
After checking the documents and registering the electronic digital signature, you need to obtain a digital medium with public and private keys;
Receiving a certificate in electronic and paper forms;
Installing a special program on your computer and debugging its operation.

It should be noted that obtaining an electronic digital signature is not a free service. Its cost varies from 4 to 20 thousand rubles. and it depends on the type of signature, the location of the customer, as well as the areas in which it will be used in the future.

Thus, an electronic digital signature obtained at a special accredited Certification Center has official significance and legal confirmatory force. Moreover, unlike the usual signature of a person, this signature also replaces the seal of the organization, and besides, it is absolutely impossible to fake it. Many commercial companies have already appreciated all the advantages of using an electronic signature in internal and external document flow, and we can confidently say that the number of such enterprises will only grow over time.

Qualified electronic signature

This signature is the most secure option. A qualified signature is the same as a handwritten signature on paper, it has the same legal force and can only be obtained in special accredited centers. This signature is suitable if an entrepreneur wants to switch to electronic document management with partners, work with government procurement, or communicate remotely with government agencies. With the help of a qualified electronic signature you can:

sign any types of documents electronically - acts, invoices, statements, invoices, etc.;
submit accounting, tax, statistical and other reports via the Internet;
formalize labor relations with remote employees;
interact with government information systems, such as State Services, Rosreestr and more than 300 other sites;
participate in government procurement on federal electronic trading platforms;
participate in bankruptcy auctions on Sberbank-AST and other platforms;
interact with EGAIS;
submit documents for registration of a legal entity and individual entrepreneur, as well as make changes to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs;
register real estate transactions.

There are Internet resources that can only be used with an electronic signature.
For example, the portal of state and municipal services of the Moscow region. If an entrepreneur is engaged in freight transportation, he needs to obtain a transit pass on the Moscow Ring Road for heavy trucks. Only those who have ES can do this. Nikolay Zhuravlev, General Director of Business Planning Experts LLC

We recently discovered that the arbitration court received a request to declare it impossible to collect insurance contributions from our company in the amount of one hundred rubles.
This misunderstanding greatly surprised us, but we didn’t want to lose our case in court, so we had to prepare an answer. It could be submitted either by mail or electronically. The second method required a qualified electronic signature. We chose the second option and did not regret it. It turned out that this greatly expanded the company’s capabilities. In addition to online communication with the court, we promptly registered a personal account on the Federal Tax Service website and checked whether we had any tax debts. It turned out that we had overpaid there. After that, using an electronic signature, we added contact information to our profile in several legal entity databases. We have also registered as a supplier on several major electronic trading platforms - we will try to participate in tenders. A good practice is to use different types of electronic signatures for different actions.
For example, using a simple electronic signature, you can coordinate internal documents on the corporate portal: applications, sick leave, vacation applications, orders. Use the enhanced electronic signature to participate in tenders, submit tax reports and exchange documents with business partners. To sign a document, it must be uploaded into the crypto provider’s program, for example, CryptoARM, and certified with your electronic signature. The encrypted document can be saved on your computer and sent to the interested party.

The feasibility of obtaining an electronic signature

Before you start the hassle of filling out an application for an electronic signature, you should be aware of whether it is really necessary to obtain it. The advantages of owning an electronic signature are obvious. But what does the other side of the coin look like?

Economic efficiency. Digital signatures in the arsenal of an individual or legal entity impose certain financial obligations on him. Money will be needed both to obtain a signature (one-time) and to pay for the annual certificate. In addition, you should take into account possible additional costs for the program itself for working with electronic signatures.
Profit of digital signature for an ordinary citizen. The practice of using digital signatures by individuals suggests that this service is needed only by those who regularly apply to the Federal Tax Service, Rosreestr and MFC, while trying to reduce personal visits. Perhaps for an ordinary Russian, whose territorial representations of these bodies function without exhausting queues, obtaining an electronic digital signature does not make much sense.
Digital signature for businessmen. At the initial stage of doing business, you can do without an electronic digital signature. But if there is even a small staff subordinate to the manager, the organization plans to take part in auctions, tenders, and submit reports electronically, then digital signature will make life much easier. The costs of an electronic signature for businessmen are somewhat more expensive, but they pay off due to significant savings in time and effort and the opportunity to participate in profitable corporate auctions.

How to take into account the costs of purchasing an electronic signature ?

Which electronic signature is suitable for LLCs and individual entrepreneurs

A qualified electronic signature replaces a handwritten signature or signature and seal, allowing you to sign the largest number of types of electronic documents. At the same time, the content of the signature for an employee of an LLC and an individual entrepreneur differs. For LLC.
An ES is always issued in the name of a specific individual: if an entrepreneur has employees, then the ES must be issued for each of them.
The electronic signature of an employee or head of a company contains data of a legal entity - such an electronic signature can sign documents on behalf of the LLC. For individual entrepreneurs.
An entrepreneur who works for himself issues a signature in his own name. A signature for an individual entrepreneur differs from a signature for an individual only in that it contains OGRN data.

Evgenia Bazhanova, procurement specialist at Concordia law firm

One person can use multiple signatures. For example, the general director of an LLC can sign up for the company's electronic signature and act on its behalf. Or he can receive a personal signature in order to act as an individual, for example, in State Services.

Digital signature setup

To ensure full and safe operation of the electronic device, it must be correctly configured and activated. Therefore, in addition to CryptoPro, it is necessary to have programs and drivers to ensure stable operation. Among them:

Driver Rutoken - run the installation file, remove the identifier, reboot the PC. Already having CryptoPro CSP on your computer, install the root certificate downloaded from the official website.
We install the personal certificate using the “Service” tab in CryptoPro.
We bind the key to the certificate automatically or following the instructions of the CA.
We install the Kapik program, distributed by Microsoft, following standard instructions.

The reliability of using EDS is at a very high level, which allows EDS to be equated to a handwritten stroke of a pen. In addition, the chance of its forgery is considered lower than the probability of simulating a person’s personal signature, and therefore is practically equal to zero.

How to get an EP

An entrepreneur can issue a simple electronic signature for free at State Services, using the CryptoARM program, or receive it for a fee from any organization that issues signatures. To obtain a qualified or unqualified EP, we recommend following our step-by-step instructions.

Step 1. Collect documents

Typically, the certification authority requests the following documents:

applicant's passport;
SNILS of the future owner of the electronic signature;
for an LLC or other organization - constituent documents;
extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities or Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs;
certificate of registration with the tax office;
documents that confirm the authority of the manager, for example the decision on election;
for a foreign organization - translation into Russian of state registration documents issued abroad.

The certification center may require other documents. For example, an order appointing the owner of a digital signature. Most certification centers ask for originals or notarized copies. If the documents are submitted not by the future owner of the digital signature, but by another employee, a power of attorney will be required. When the electronic signature is issued not to the manager, but, for example, to the chief accountant, you need to provide the certification center with a power of attorney for the right to sign documents on behalf of the organization.

Step 2. Select a certification authority

Certification centers can be accredited or unaccredited. Qualified certificates have the right to issue only accredited certification centers. These include certification centers that have received accreditation from the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, as well as certification centers of the Federal Tax Service, the Treasury, and the Central Bank. A complete list is available on the website of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications.

Step 3. Pay for electronic signature

The cost of the certificate depends on the type of signature and the operations that can be performed with it.
For example, a signature for business and electronic reporting costs from 3,000 rubles, for electronic trading - from 5,900 rubles. At the same time, a signature on a flash drive or other physical media will cost more than a signature in the cloud. If an electronic signature is needed to work with government procurement, then the cryptoprotection program “CryptoPro CSP” is usually included in the cost of issuing an electronic signature and is indicated as a separate item in the invoice.

Step 4. Receive electronic signature

The electronic signature is usually issued on a USB flash drive, but can also be stored in the cloud.
In any case, it is valid for one year from the date of issue, and after that it must be issued again. EP on a flash drive.

A special program is stored on a USB flash drive that allows you to certify electronic documents. Together with the flash drive, the entrepreneur receives a qualified certificate, which contains the key for verifying the electronic signature. The certificate is proof that its owner has the key to create a signature, and this can be verified using the certificate.

ES in the cloud.

A cloud electronic signature implies that the private key of the digital signature is stored on the server of the certification center, and the signing of documents takes place there. In this case, the owner of the electronic signature does not receive a flash drive: he will need to install a special application on his smartphone or computer, which is provided by the certification center.

What is an electronic signature verification key?

The period of non-working days and self-isolation has clearly shown how much can be done without leaving home. Remotely register or close a business, pay taxes, go to court, request the necessary extracts, exchange closing documents with customers and suppliers. The only thing you need is a computer with Internet access and a valid electronic signature key certificate.

Let's figure out what types of electronic signatures exist, what components they consist of, and how to ensure their safety and security.

Electronic digital signature. Basics

An electronic signature (ED, digital signature, EDS) is a mandatory element of a legally significant electronic document. A document signed with an electronic signature has the same evidentiary force as a regular document with a signature and seal that we are used to. Such a document can be used in court. EDS reliably protects an electronic document from forgery and copying, and also contains key information about the electronic digital signature certificate, details of the certificate owner and certification authority. An electronic signature can be used for both individuals and organizations. Along with the development of digital services, the scope of application of digital signatures is also growing. It is possible that in just a few years every adult citizen will be required to have an electronic signature. Electronic signature certificates are produced and issued by a special accredited company – a certification center (CA).

Selecting a certification authority

A certification center is a legal entity that has all the necessary licenses and certificates for generating and issuing electronic signature keys. As a rule, this is a large company that has representatives in different regions and has been accredited by the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation.

When choosing a center, pay attention to the name and reputation of the company, the number of years of operation in the market and the availability of additional services, for example, 24-hour technical support and the possibility of center employees visiting your home or office.

Please note that updated rules for issuing electronic signatures will come into force very soon. Changes to Law 63-FZ imply stricter requirements for certification centers, which means some small companies will most likely lose the ability to issue electronic signatures. To protect yourself and your documents, before ordering an electronic signature certificate, you can request copies of all licenses and permits from the manager.

What types of electronic signature are there?

An electronic signature can be simple, unqualified or qualified.

A simple signature is a combination of login-password or SMS code. Everyone has probably encountered it in their life when logging into various portals or when receiving parcels at the post office.

An unqualified signature confirms the identity of the owner and protects the document from changes, but does not contain special encryption tools certified by the FSB of Russia. Suitable for working with internal electronic document management, but not suitable for sending documents to government agencies or contractors. At the moment, it is rapidly losing its popularity due to restrictions in use.

A qualified electronic signature is what is most often meant when talking about digital signatures in general. It is issued only by centers accredited by the Russian Ministry of Communications and has a greater degree of protection. Any document signed with a qualified electronic signature has full legal force.

Electronic signature certificate (electronic signature verification key certificate, digital signature certificate, digital signature key certificate) is a document that confirms that this signature belongs to its owner. Issued only by certification centers. May be in paper or digital form.

An electronic signature key certificate consists of several components:

—

Public key. It is also called the electronic signature verification key. The electronic signature verification key contains a unique code that can be used to verify the authenticity of the electronic signature. The public key certificate contains information about the signatory (full name, SNILS, etc.), the certification center that issued the electronic signature and the validity period of the key. Thanks to the public verification key, the recipient of an electronic document can verify that the document has not been changed and that the electronic signature certificate is valid.

—

Private key for verifying electronic signature. Unlike the public verification key, the private key, as the name suggests, contains confidential information that can be obtained by attackers to compromise the signature. To store the private key, as a rule, a separate medium is used - a token. Responsibility for storing such media lies with the owner of the signature.

The private key + public key certificate pair reliably ensures the security of the digital signature and at the same time the readability of all information contained in the digital signature key certificate, namely:

—

unique number of the electronic signature verification key certificate;

—

details of the company or person in whose name the certificate was issued;

—

electronic signature verification key code for identification;

—

standards for this type of certificate;

—

name and address of the certification center;

—

insurance number of the personal account and TIN of the owner;

—

date of issue and validity period of the certificate; as a rule, an electronic signature is issued for a period of 12 months.

Rules for storing and protecting electronic signatures

The safest option is to store the electronic signature key on a special medium – a token. Most often, this is a flash drive with a certificate and password built-in crypto protection. But even in this case, it is recommended to store such media in a safe. Several digital signature certificates can be recorded on one token.

If you use an electronic signature on only one work laptop or PC, then the certificate can be recorded in the Windows registry, of course, provided that you also log into the computer with a password.

The responsibility for protecting the certificate lies with its owner. If you suspect that your key has been compromised, you should immediately inform your certification center about this so that specialists can revoke the electronic signature.

You can revoke a certificate upon application by personally visiting a certification center. Typically, recalls occur within a few hours. You can check whether a lost certificate is valid in the certificate revocation registry.

You need to take the security of your electronic signature verification key very seriously. Let's say you are the director of a company and your certificate was stolen. In this case, the attacker will be able to withdraw money from your company’s account, remotely register an individual entrepreneur or LLC in your name, enter into a dubious transaction on your behalf, or apply for a loan.

Taxcom Certification Center is the largest certification center in the country. Taxcom partners, who have the right to issue electronic signature keys, are present in all regions of Russia. UC Taxkom will help to issue electronic signature certificates for individuals and legal entities, for participation in government auctions and work on commercial electronic platforms, for working with electronic reporting and electronic document management, for registering an online cash register and in the “Honest ZNAK” labeling system.

Certification center specialists will advise you, select the required certificate and media, answer all questions and help with installation.

For corporate clients, there is a service called Taxcom-Certificate Management, which will ensure the rapid issuance and revocation of certificates within the company in accordance with all legal regulations. Within Moscow and the Moscow region, Taxcom has organized on-site service for you. A manager will come to your home or office to complete all the necessary documents and help with installing and configuring the certificate and related software on your PC.

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How to check the authenticity of an electronic signature

After receiving the electronic signature, it would be useful to check that the signature contains the correct company details. If an error creeps into the data, the documents signed by it will be invalid. Usually certification centers check everything several times, but sometimes it happens that incorrect data about the owner of the electronic signature has crept into the system or the certificate is no longer valid. You can check the received ES in several ways:

using a plugin for office programs Word and Excel;
using a plugin for Adobe Reader that works with PDF documents;
online using special services, for example “Kontur.Crypto”;
in a separate program “CryptoARM”;
using a plugin for browsers Safari, Opera, Chrome and others;
on the State Services website.

Evgenia Bazhanova, procurement specialist at Concordia law firm

If, when registering a signature, incorrect information about the owner was entered or an error was made in it, such a signature is invalid. You must contact the certification authority and reissue the signature. If the terms of use of the signature specified in the certificate are violated, it may also be invalidated. For example, if someone tries to change a document signed using an electronic signature, the signature may no longer be valid.

Possibility of checking digital signature

To verify the authenticity of any electronic signature on a received document, special utilities are provided. They can be installed on your computer, which is advisable for regular use, or used online. When registering an electronic digital signature at the Certification Center, inquire about the opportunity to receive such a program (most likely, you will be offered it as part of the provision of services).

To check the digital signature, it is copied from the document and placed into the program. Some verification programs have the ability to examine digital signatures not one at a time, but to process large amounts of documentation, which is very convenient and significantly saves time.

What to do if you lost your EP

If you have lost your key or it has been stolen, you need to contact a certification center. This can be done in person, by phone or by email. The authority will revoke the certificate and it will be invalid. That is, attackers will not be able to sign documents on your behalf, make transactions, participate in auctions, and perform other actions online.

It is impossible to restore a lost certificate or digital signature key. To use the digital signature again, you need to prepare the documents again, contact the certification center, issue a new certificate and pay for the service again.

Features of electronic digital signature

IMPORTANT! A sample power of attorney for the right to obtain an electronic signature at a certification center from ConsultantPlus is available here

At its core, a digital signature is an analogue of a “live” autograph of an individual. Like a real signature, it serves to certify the authenticity of documents and has some characteristics:

is unique and inimitable;
belongs to a specific person;
has protection against copying and counterfeiting.

Briefly: how to obtain and use electronic signature

The electronic signature allows you to sign primary documents, submit electronic reports, formalize labor relations with employees, participate in tenders and conduct business without leaving the office. The electronic signature can be simple, unqualified and qualified. A qualified electronic signature opens up more opportunities for an entrepreneur.
To obtain an electronic signature, you need to prepare documents, contact a certification center and pay for the service. It will cost three to six thousand rubles.
The electronic signature can be obtained on a flash drive or in the cloud - it all depends on how the entrepreneur plans to use the signature and on what equipment.
To sign electronic signature documents, you will need a special program. It can be installed on both a computer and a smartphone.
If an entrepreneur has lost the electronic signature or it has fallen into the hands of criminals, it is necessary to contact the certification center as quickly as possible and block the signature.

Elizaveta Chernaya

EDS production time

The main time costs for producing an electronic digital signature fall on the following stages:

collection of documents for submission to the Certification Center;
filling out an application (in person or via the website);
receiving an invoice (after reviewing the application) and paying for the service;
direct production of an electronic digital signature.

After reviewing all the necessary documents and a certificate of payment, the Certification Center begins to produce a signature, which only takes about 1-2 hours. With some efficiency, an electronic digital signature can be obtained even on the day of submitting the application. Significantly saving clients time is the opportunity to submit an application online with the provision of scanned copies of the necessary documentation. With this method of submission, you will need to provide the originals for verification when delivering the prepared digital signature.