The handwritten signature scanned

A scanned handwritten signature (or digitized signature ) is the image of your paper signature photographed or scanned that is inserted into a document, usually a PDF or Word file.

This is very different from an electronic signature within the meaning of the eIDAS Regulation, which is based on a technical process linking the signature to the signatory and ensuring the integrity of the document.

Under French law, electronic writing has the same evidentiary value as paper, provided that its author is reliably identified and the document is kept under conditions which guarantee its integrity (Article 1366 of the Civil Code).

A simple photo-paste does not satisfy either of these two conditions reliably: there is no proof that the person who signed it did so, and the image can be copied and reused on another document.

The electronic signature (eIDAS) exactly solves the weaknesses of the scanned signature: it links the signature to the signatory via authentication (OTP e-mail/SMS), seals the integrity of the document and produces a timestamped audit trail all of which can be challenged in court.

Depending on the challenge, the appropriate level is chosen: simple (SES), advanced (AES, the recommended standard) or qualified (QES, the legal equivalent of handwritten signature).

With Certyneo, you can replace the scanned image with a real electronic signature in minutes: import your PDF, place the signature fields, send the link to the signatories.

The signed document and its eIDAS evidence file are timestamped and archived, giving you robust evidence where the scanned signature left only a questionable image.