Can you sign an INPI formality for free without FranceConnect+?

Not really anymore. The only free route is FranceConnect+ with La Poste Digital Identity. The free alternative via SMS code that France Num was relaying was removed in July 2026; without a digital identity, you now need a signature based on a qualified certificate, so a paying service provider. At Certyneo, it's €14.90 per act, with no subscription.

Is a Yousign, DocuSign or Adobe signature accepted by INPI?

Only if it is based on a qualified certificate, which is never the case with the simple or free versions of these tools. The portal verifies the certificate, not the brand: a qualified eIDAS signature passes regardless of the platform, a simple signature is rejected regardless of the platform.

What is the difference between « advanced signature on qualified certificate » and « qualified signature »?

The qualified signature is an advanced signature created with a qualified device and backed by a qualified certificate. It therefore contains everything that INPI requires, plus a guarantee on the creation device. This is why Certyneo's qualified signature meets the Single Window requirement.

How much does a qualified signature for INPI cost at Certyneo?

€14.90 per signature, paid at submission, with no subscription or commitment, including from the free plan. A formality requires only one signature: you therefore pay €14.90, just once.

How long does it take to sign your formality?

About ten minutes the first time: approximately three minutes for identity verification, then the signature itself. The next times, signing takes less than a minute, with no new verification. Signature verification on the Single Window is immediate.

Can a representative or accountant sign on behalf of the director?

Yes, provided they are declared as a representative of the formality: INPI requires that the signer be a natural person, legal representative, entrepreneur or representative. The qualified certificate is issued in the name of the person signing, never in the name of the company.

I am a foreign national and I do not have La Poste Digital Identity: what should I do?

This is the typical case. La Poste Digital Identity requires a French identity card or a residence permit of at least five years. Certyneo's qualified signature verifies your identity from a passport or identity card issued by one of the 65 countries covered by our service providers, without going through FranceConnect+.

What about filing a trademark, patent or design?

These filings go through another INPI portal, the e-procedures one, which accepts a simple or advanced signature depending on the filing. The qualified signature is not necessary there. Our trademark filing guide details the procedure.

Single Window · Business Formalities

INPI Electronic Signature: sign your formality at the Single Window

Modification of bylaws, change of registered office or manager, cessation of activity, filing of annual accounts: for these formalities, INPI's Single Window refuses a simple checkbox. It requires an advanced electronic signature based on a qualified certificate, or a FranceConnect+ connection. If FranceConnect+ does not work, or if you do not have a La Poste Digital Identity, you can sign the PDF summary of your formality with a qualified Certyneo signature, on the spot, in about ten minutes.

€14.90 per signature, no subscription
eIDAS qualified certificate, European trust list
No software or USB key to install

Which signature for which INPI formality?

The signature level depends on the formality, not on the legal form. Creation is signed with one click; everything that comes after requires a signature based on a qualified certificate, or FranceConnect+.

Signature level required by the Single Window according to the formality
Formality	Required signature	How to sign
Business creation (registration)	No electronic signature	Checking a box is equivalent to a signature and declaration of honor.
Modification: registered office, manager, activity, capital, name	Advanced on qualified certificate	FranceConnect+, or PDF summary signed with a qualified certificate.
Cessation of activity, deregistration	Advanced on qualified certificate	FranceConnect+, or PDF summary signed with a qualified certificate.
Filing of annual accounts	Advanced on qualified certificate	FranceConnect+, or PDF summary signed with a qualified certificate.
Trademark, patent, design or model filing	Simple or advanced depending on the filing	Other INPI portal: see our trademark filing guide.

The certificate holder must be a natural person: the legal representative, the entrepreneur or the representative filing the formality. A signature on behalf of a company, a scan of a handwritten signature or a simple signature are refused.

Two ways to sign a modification or cessation formality

INPI does not provide signature. It accepts either strengthened State identification or a qualified certificate issued by a European trusted service provider.

FranceConnect+ with La Poste Digital Identity

Free

You connect to the Single Window via FranceConnect+ (not FranceConnect), you check the confirmation and you click on "Sign the request". This is the simplest route when it works.

You need a La Poste Digital Identity, so a French identity card or a residence permit of at least five years, then a verification which can take several days. Foreign nationals without a long-term permit, representatives and users blocked by a connection error are excluded.

Qualified Certyneo signature on the PDF summary

€14.90 per signature

You download the PDF summary of your formality, you sign it in Certyneo with an eIDAS qualified signature, then you reimport the signed file to the Single Window. Qualified signature is the highest level under the eIDAS regulation: it is based on a qualified certificate issued by a service provider registered on the European trust list, which meets INPI's requirement.

An identity verification of approximately three minutes the first time (identity document and video selfie, documents from 65 countries accepted). Then, each signature takes less than a minute. No subscription, no software to install.

Standard qualified certificate on USB key

Annual subscription

Certification authorities sell certificates on physical media, with supporting documents, delivery time and signature software to install. Suitable for accountants and representatives who sign formalities all year round, disproportionate for an isolated formality.

Allow several days between the order and the first signature, and a renewal at each deadline.

Sign your INPI formality with Certyneo, step by step

Allow about ten minutes the first time, including three for identity verification.

1
Complete your formality up to the "Sign" stage
On the Single Window, connected via FranceConnect or INPI Connect, fill in and pay for your modification, cessation or account filing formality. At the final stage, INPI generates the non-modifiable PDF summary of the file.
2
Download the PDF summary
Save this file without modifying it: it is this, and only this, that must bear the signature. A PDF edited after signature or a screenshot will be rejected.
3
Import it into Certyneo and choose "Qualified (QES)"
Create a free account if needed, drag the summary into a new envelope, add yourself as a signatory and select the qualified level. The payment of €14.90 is made at this stage, by card, with no subscription.
4
Verify your identity and sign
The first time, you install the qualified provider's identity application, you present your identity document and you take a video selfie. The qualified certificate is issued in your name and the signature is affixed to the summary.
5
Re-import the signed summary onto the Single Window
Download the signed PDF from Certyneo, re-import it at the "Sign the formality" stage, then click on "Sign the modification request" (or cessation, or "Sign the annual accounts"). Signature verification is immediate.

Verify before paying that your identity document is among those accepted by our providers: this is the most common cause of a verification that fails.

Why INPI refuses a signature

The Single Window verifies the certificate embedded in the PDF. Five causes explain almost all rejections.

Simple signature
A signature validated by email or SMS, a checked box or a finger trace is not based on any qualified certificate. This is the case with free formulas from most signature tools.
Scanned handwritten signature
A signature image inserted into the PDF is not an electronic signature. The portal finds no signature in the document.
Non-qualified certificate
A company seal or a certificate generated by the signature tool itself does not appear on the European trust list. The « advanced » level alone is not enough: the certificate must be qualified.
PDF modified or re-exported
Opening the signed summary in an editor, flattening it or printing it to PDF destroys the signature. Re-import the file exactly as Certyneo provides it.
FranceConnect instead of FranceConnect+
Only FranceConnect+, with La Poste Digital Identity, removes the need for a signature on a qualified certificate: the formality is then signed with a simple click. A classic FranceConnect connection, via the tax authority account for example, is not enough.

How much does it cost to sign an INPI formality?

INPI does not charge for the signature. The cost depends on the method chosen.

Solution	For whom	Price	Timeline
FranceConnect+ (Digital Identity La Poste)	Legal representative with French identity card or long-stay residence permit	0 €	Several days if the digital identity needs to be created
Qualified signature Certyneo	Any natural person, including foreign nationals and authorized representatives	€14.90 per signature	About ten minutes
Qualified certificate on physical support	Professionals who sign formalities throughout the year	Annual subscription	A few days for delivery

Price excluding VAT for qualified Certyneo signature, available from the free plan, with no commitment. The fees for the formality itself are paid to INPI, separately.

What the regulations say

Formalities for business modification and cessation require a so-called « high » level of signature: an advanced electronic signature based on a qualified certificate, within the meaning of eIDAS regulation (EU) no. 910/2014. Qualified certificates recognized in other Member States are accepted on the same basis as those of French service providers. The qualified signature, defined in Article 3 of the same regulation, is an advanced signature created with a qualified device and based on a qualified certificate: it therefore satisfies, by design, the requirement of the Single Window.

Frequently asked questions about INPI signature

Can you sign an INPI formality for free without FranceConnect+?: Not really anymore. The only free route is FranceConnect+ with La Poste Digital Identity. The free alternative via SMS code that France Num was relaying was removed in July 2026; without a digital identity, you now need a signature based on a qualified certificate, so a paying service provider. At Certyneo, it's €14.90 per act, with no subscription.
Is a Yousign, DocuSign or Adobe signature accepted by INPI?: Only if it is based on a qualified certificate, which is never the case with the simple or free versions of these tools. The portal verifies the certificate, not the brand: a qualified eIDAS signature passes regardless of the platform, a simple signature is rejected regardless of the platform.
What is the difference between « advanced signature on qualified certificate » and « qualified signature »?: The qualified signature is an advanced signature created with a qualified device and backed by a qualified certificate. It therefore contains everything that INPI requires, plus a guarantee on the creation device. This is why Certyneo's qualified signature meets the Single Window requirement.
How much does a qualified signature for INPI cost at Certyneo?: €14.90 per signature, paid at submission, with no subscription or commitment, including from the free plan. A formality requires only one signature: you therefore pay €14.90, just once.
How long does it take to sign your formality?: About ten minutes the first time: approximately three minutes for identity verification, then the signature itself. The next times, signing takes less than a minute, with no new verification. Signature verification on the Single Window is immediate.
Can a representative or accountant sign on behalf of the director?: Yes, provided they are declared as a representative of the formality: INPI requires that the signer be a natural person, legal representative, entrepreneur or representative. The qualified certificate is issued in the name of the person signing, never in the name of the company.
I am a foreign national and I do not have La Poste Digital Identity: what should I do?: This is the typical case. La Poste Digital Identity requires a French identity card or a residence permit of at least five years. Certyneo's qualified signature verifies your identity from a passport or identity card issued by one of the 65 countries covered by our service providers, without going through FranceConnect+.
What about filing a trademark, patent or design?: These filings go through another INPI portal, the e-procedures one, which accepts a simple or advanced signature depending on the filing. The qualified signature is not necessary there. Our trademark filing guide details the procedure.

→ Complete guide to electronic signature · → eIDAS certified signature · → Legal solutions · → eIDAS qualified signature: per-use pricing

Sign your INPI summary now

Free account, qualified signature at €14.90 per act, with no subscription. Signed PDF ready to re-import to the Single Window in about ten minutes.