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Certyneo
Law of 1 July 1901 · e-creation · eIDAS AES

Sign the articles of association Act 1901 online

Articles of association law 1901 signed electronically by the founding members at the constituent assembly, with the same legal value as paper articles of association.

Legal framework
Law of 1901 · Decree of 16 August 1901
Signature level
AES eIDAS recommended
Legal archives
10 years included

What are the statutes of the association Act 1901?

The statutes of an association (Law 1901) are the founding act which defines its object, governance, operating rules and the rights of its members.They must contain at least: the name, purpose, address of the headquarters, the conditions for admission and removal of members, the governing bodies (bureau, board of directors), resources and the method of amendment of the statutes.

Why sign electronically?

Distance signature time saving

No need to physically gather all the founders (often scattered). Each founding member signs from his/her phone with an individual SMS OTP. Gain several days on the creation of the association.

Multi-founder (unlimited)

Our flow handles sequential (chairman first, then founders) or parallel (all sign at once) signatures. Compatible with associations of 2, 10 or 50 founders.

Compatible e-creation tele-service

The e-creation service of service-public.fr accepts the upload of statutes signed electronically with this trail.

Audit trail opposable

Each set of statutes comes with a PDF of proof: identity of each founder, qualified time stamp, SHA-256 hash, OTP SMS, IP. Opposable in case of dispute over the status of founding member or the date of incorporation.

The four-step procedure

From prep to legal filing in less than five minutes.

  1. 1. Preparation of the statutes

    Upload your draft statutes or use a model in accordance with the Law of 1901.

  2. 2. Add the founding members

    Each founder receives a secure, personalized email link with OTP SMS on their own number.

  3. 3. Choose the eIDAS level

    Advanced signature (AES) recommended: identity verification by SMS OTP, unique certificate, qualified time stamping.

  4. 4. Declare at the prefecture

    The final signatory has the final statutes + the audit trail ready. Upload them on the e-creation service service-public.fr or send them by post to the prefecture of the headquarters department.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the articles of association be signed electronically?
No text of the Act of 1901 or the Decree of 16 August 1901 requires the handwritten signature. Article 1366 of the Civil Code recognizes electronic writing as having the same evidentiary force as paper writing. The advanced signature Certyneo satisfies the evidentiary requirements.
Does the prefecture accept statutes signed electronically?
Yes the e-creation teleservice (service-public.fr/associations) accepts the upload of statutes signed electronically with this trail.
How many founding members do we need at least ?
Certyneo manages up to 100+ signatories, but the number of members is limited to a maximum of two.
What should be done in the event of a subsequent statutory amendment?
Any amendment to the statutes must be the subject of an AGE PV (extraordinary general meeting) signed by the office, followed by a declaration of amendment in the prefecture within 3 months (Art. 5 of the Law of 1901).
What signature level should I choose?
The SES is not sufficient for associations with issues (grants, real estate, employees).
How long do we have to keep the statutes ?
Certyneo automatically archives the articles of association + the audit trail + successive amendments during this period.
Can a public interest or public utility association be set up electronically?
Yes, for statutes.Additional steps (recognition of general interest by decree in the Council of State, ministerial approval) may require additional formalities check with your sector federation.
Are electronically signed statutes enforceable against third parties?
Yes publication in the Official Journal (JOAFE) after declaration in the prefecture makes the statutes enforceable against third parties.

See also

How to create your online group

Permanent free plan (5 envelopes/month), without credit card. Complies with Law 1901 and eIDAS. Compatible prefectural e-creation teleservice.

Starting for free See the prices