Sign a business contract online in less than 2 minutes
Sales, service, distribution, partnership, business partner or framework contract: whatever the B2B agreement, it is formed as soon as the wills are met (Article 1101 of the Civil Code). The advanced electronic signature dates this agreement with a level of evidence that can be challenged in the commercial court. Complies with Article 1366 of the Civil Code and the eIDAS Regulation AES signature recommended, multi-signature between several companies, archiving 10 years included.
- Legal framework
- Article 1101 of the Civil Code
- Signature level
- AES eIDAS recommended
- Legal archives
- 10 years included
What is an electronically signed business contract?
A commercial contract is an agreement concluded between two professionals to organize a business relationship: sale of goods, provision of services, distribution, partnership, business supply or framework contract (MSA) covering successive orders. Article 1101 of the Civil Code defines the contract as an agreement of wills intended to create, modify or terminate obligations: as soon as both parties agree to the same terms, the contract is formed, without the requirement of handwritten form for the vast majority of B2B PDFs. The advanced electronic signature (AES) materializes this consent with a qualified timestamp and a proof to the commercial court.
Why sign your business contracts electronically?
Agreement with time stamps
The qualified time stamp certifies the exact date of formation of the contract (Article 1101 of the Civil Code), the starting point of the reciprocal obligations. It blocks any late dispute of the type I had not signed or the conditions have changed after . Admissible before the commercial court in case of a dispute over scope, price or deadlines.
Shortened sales cycle
The customer-side decision maker signs from their phone in less than 2 minutes, without downloading an app or creating an account. The SMS OTP formally identifies the signer. Contracts are signed back in 24 hours instead of several days of round-trip by e-mail or mail, which directly speeds up the recognition of turnover.
Mass signature and CRM
Import 50 or 200 contracts at once from a CSV, each with its own signatories and template. The native Zapier, Make, webhooks and CRM connectors (HubSpot, Pipedrive, Sellsy, Axonaut) trigger automatic sending to validate an opportunity.
The eIDAS audit trail is open to objection
Each signed contract is accompanied by a PDF of proof: identity of the signatories (email + OTP telephone), qualified time stamping, SHA-256 fingerprint, IP and gross geolocation, consultation log.
Signing a business contract in four steps
From uploading the contract to archiving evidence in less than five minutes.
1. Upload the contract
Upload your PDF (sales, supply, distribution, framework contract) or start from a Certyneo template.The attachments (CGV, purchase order, price grid) are merged into a single PDF covered by a single print.
2. Add the signatories
Enter the name, email and telephone number of each signatory including those from several companies or agents.Each person receives a secure, personalised link and signs at his or her own pace, sequentially or in parallel.
3. Choose the eIDAS level
Advanced signature (AES) recommended for B2B commercial contracts: identity verified by SMS OTP, unique certificate per signatory, qualified time stamping, in accordance with Article 26 of the eIDAS Regulation.
4. Sign and file
The signatories validate the contract from their phone or computer, usually within 24 hours. The contract and its PDF proof are archived automatically for 10 years (Article L123-22 of the Commercial Code), accessible at any time for inspection or litigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does an electronically signed commercial contract have full legal value?
- Yes. Article 1101 of the Civil Code forms the contract from the moment of agreement of the wills, and Article 1366 gives the electronic writing the same evidentiary power as the paper, provided that the signatory is identified and the integrity of the document is guaranteed. Certyneo fulfils these conditions via the double-channel SMS OTP and the SHA-256 printing integrated into the PDF. The presumption of reliability of Article 1367 of the Civil Code makes the advanced signature admissible in the commercial court.
- What level to choose for a commercial contract: SES, AES or QES?
- For a B2B commercial contract, the advanced signature (AES) is the professional standard: identity verification by SMS OTP, single certificate per signatory, qualified time stamping, in accordance with Article 26 of the eIDAS Regulation.
- What kind of business contracts can you sign with Certyneo?
- All B2B agreements which do not require authentic form: sales contract, service contract, distribution contract, partnership contract, business supplier contract, framework contract (MSA) and its successive purchase orders, quotations and commercial proposals.
- How do you manage multiple signatories from different companies or agents?
- Certyneo manages multi-party, sequential or parallel signatures: each signatory legal representative, agent, purchasing director of each company receives an individual link secured by OTP SMS and sign at his/her own pace.
- How do you sign a contract or make a change to the contract?
- Any change after the signature invalidates the SHA-256 imprint of the original document: the change is instantly detectable. To formalize a change (price, scope, duration), issue an endorsement or new contract to be signed with the same AES stream. The signed endorsement is archived and linked to the original contract, forming a complete chain of evidence in case of dispute.
- How long do you keep the business contracts?
- Certyneo keeps the signed contract and its eIDAS audit trail for the entire period, free of charge, with immediate access from your dashboard to respond to a tax audit, audit or commercial dispute.
- Does Certyneo integrate with my CRM for mass signatures?
- Yes, via the native Zapier, Make and webhooks connectors: the creation of a Certyneo envelope can be triggered automatically upon validation of an opportunity by HubSpot, Pipedrive, Sellsy, Axonaut or any other CRM. For large volumes, bulk sending by CSV ships 50 to 200 contracts at a time. Our REST API is documented on certyneo.com/developers for custom integrations.
- Is the signed contract enforceable in the commercial court ?
- Yes. French case law unanimously recognises eIDAS-compliant electronic signatures. The presumption of reliability of Article 1367 of the Civil Code makes the advanced signature (AES) optional without further proof, subject to the production of the eIDAS audit trail in court the PDF of proof automatically delivered by Certyneo (OTP identity, qualified timestamp, SHA-256 imprint).
See also
Sign your first online business contract
Permanent free plan (5 envelopes/month), no credit card. Time stamped agreement revocable in the commercial court. Audit trail eIDAS and archiving 10 years included.