In any job, a significant amount of manpower is spent sending documents by mail or submitting them to government offices and public authorities in person and, therefore, visiting these institutions.
But today, it is possible to do all this without leaving the office. That is why the method of sending documents by e-mail is becoming more and more popular. Meanwhile, it has a certain nuance – the presence of electronic signatures.
In case you didn't know, since 2000, in the USA, it is allowed to certify financial documents with an electronic signature. The United States is one of those countries where the status of a digital signature is equivalent to a handwritten one. So, what is an electronic signature?
Digital Legitimacy: Basic Facts
According to the legislation, two concepts should be distinguished – electronic signature and electronic digital signature.
- The first is identified as the analog of the handwritten signature. This is any reproduction of a signature, by which it can be established that the document in electronic form was signed by a specific person.
- And an electronic digital signature is a type of electronic signature obtained as a result of the cryptographic transformation of a set of electronic data. This signature is superimposed with a private key and verified with a public key.
The user's electronic signature looks the same as usual on any paper document. Alternatively, the signature function can be performed by a symbol written in a special font that replicates handwriting on a sheet of a virtual document.
Electronic Signature Providers and Services
There are many services for this, both paid and free. For example, on SignNow, a cloud-based e-signature platform, it is possible to sign the document and check the document for electronic signature 24/7.
An electronic signature allows both individuals and legal entities to exchange electronic documents. That is, it saves time and resources spent on document management both within the organization and with contractors. After all, there is no need to print documents and send them in person or by mail. The time for approving a certain decision or performing an action that requires the signature of an authorized person is also reduced.