Signatory
Definition
Qui peut être signataire ? Toute personne physique juridiquement capable : un particulier majeur pour ses propres engagements, ou un représentant habilité pour une entreprise — dirigeant, salarié muni d'une délégation de signature, mandataire. Vérifier l'habilitation du signataire est un point de contrôle essentiel : un contrat signé par une personne non habilitée peut être contesté.
Signataire, cosignataire, approbateur : le cosignataire est un signataire supplémentaire du même document (co-signature), engagé au même titre ; l'approbateur, lui, valide le document dans un flux d'approbation sans apposer de signature juridiquement engageante. L'ordre des signataires peut être séquentiel (chacun signe à son tour, avec relances automatiques) ou parallèle (tous en même temps) — c'est le workflow de signature.
Comment l'identité du signataire est-elle vérifiée ? Selon le niveau de signature : en signature simple (SES), par le lien email unique ; en signature avancée (signature avancée), par authentification forte — code OTP email + SMS ; en signature qualifiée (QES), par vérification de la pièce d'identité auprès d'un prestataire de confiance qualifié.
Sur Certyneo : le signataire reçoit un lien unique par email, visualise le document, s'authentifie et signe depuis son mobile ou son ordinateur, sans créer de compte. Chacune de ses actions (ouverture, OTP, signature, refus) est horodatée et consignée dans la piste d'audit jointe au PDF signé — c'est elle qui relie juridiquement le document au signataire. Comprendre les niveaux de signature →
Frequently asked questions
What is a signer (signatory)?
The signer is the natural person who applies their signature to a document and commits to its content — as opposed to the sender, who prepares and sends the document. In electronic signing, each signer is identified by their email (and often their mobile number), receives an invitation to sign and leaves a timestamped trace of each of their actions in the audit trail.
Who can be the signatory of a contract?
Any natural person with legal capacity: an adult individual for their own commitments, or an authorised representative for a legal entity (director, employee with delegated authority, agent). Verifying the signatory's authority is essential on the company side: a contract signed by an unauthorised person can be challenged.
What is the difference between a signatory and a co-signatory?
A co-signatory is simply an additional signer of the same document: each one is legally bound in the same way. Co-signing refers to situations where several people must sign — in a set order (sequential signing) or in parallel. Electronic signature platforms handle both modes and automatically remind pending signers.
Does a signer need to create an account to sign?
No. With Certyneo, the signer receives an email, opens the document and signs from their phone or computer, without creating an account. Depending on the signature level chosen by the sender, they may have to enter an OTP code received by email or SMS before validating their signature.
How is the signer's identity verified?
It depends on the chosen eIDAS level: with the simple signature (SES), identification relies on the email address; with the advanced signature (AES), the signer is authenticated by email + SMS OTP and every action is timestamped; with the qualified signature (QES), their identity is verified against an ID document, face to face or remotely, by a qualified trust service provider before signing.
Related guides
Related terms
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