Sign a business contract online, in less than 2 minutes
Sales contract, service agreement, distribution contract, partnership agreement, business referral contract or framework agreement: whatever the B2B agreement, it is formed upon meeting of the minds (article 1101 Civil Code). Advanced electronic signature timestamps this agreement with a level of evidence admissible in commercial court. Compliant with article 1366 of the Civil Code and the eIDAS regulation — AES signature recommended, multi-signatories between several companies, 10-year archiving included.
- Legal framework
- Article 1101 Civil Code
- Signature level
- AES eIDAS recommended
- Legal archiving
- 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 contribution or framework contract (MSA) governing successive orders. Article 1101 of the Civil Code defines a contract as an agreement of wills intended to create, modify or extinguish obligations: as soon as both parties consent to the same terms, the contract is formed, without requirement of written form for the vast majority of B2B agreements. Advanced electronic signature (AES) materializes this consent with qualified timestamping and evidence enforceable in commercial court. Article 1366 of the Civil Code grants electronic writing the same evidentiary force as paper writing, provided the signatory is identified and the integrity of the document is guaranteed. Certyneo fulfills both conditions via identification by dual-channel SMS OTP and SHA-256 fingerprint embedded in the PDF. Each signed contract is delivered with its eIDAS audit trail and archived for 10 years, in accordance with article L123-22 of the Commercial Code.
Why sign your commercial contracts electronically?
Timestamped enforceable agreement
Qualified timestamping certifies the exact date of contract formation (article 1101 Civil Code), the starting point of mutual obligations. It blocks any late dispute such as "I had not signed" or "conditions changed after". Admissible in commercial court in case of dispute over scope, price or deadlines.
Shortened sales cycle
The decision-maker on the client side signs from their phone in less than 2 minutes, without downloading an application or creating an account. SMS OTP formally identifies the signatory. Contracts come back signed within 24 hours instead of several days of back-and-forth by email or mail, which directly accelerates revenue recognition.
Bulk signing and CRM
Import 50 or 200 contracts at once from a CSV, each with its signatories and template. Native connectors Zapier, Make, webhooks and CRM (HubSpot, Pipedrive, Sellsy, Axonaut) trigger automatic sending upon opportunity validation. Essential for sales departments handling recurring contract volumes.
Enforceable eIDAS audit trail
Each signed contract is delivered with a proof PDF: identity of signatories (email + SMS OTP phone), qualified timestamping, SHA-256 fingerprint, IP and rough geolocation, consultation log. The presumption of reliability of article 1367 of the Civil Code makes advanced signature enforceable in commercial court without further demonstration.
Sign a commercial contract in 4 steps
From contract upload to probative archiving, in less than 5 minutes.
1. Upload the contract
Upload your PDF (sales contract, service agreement, distribution contract, framework contract) or start from a Certyneo template. Annexes (T&Cs, purchase order, price list) are merged into a single PDF covered by a single fingerprint.
2. Add signatories
Enter the name, email and phone number of each signatory — including those from multiple companies or representatives. Each receives a personalized secure link and signs at their 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 timestamping, compliant with article 26 of the eIDAS regulation. Simple signature (SES) is sufficient for low-stake agreements.
4. Sign and archive
Signatories validate from their phone or computer, typically within 24 hours. The contract and its proof PDF are automatically archived for 10 years (article L123-22 Commercial Code), accessible at any time for audit 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 upon agreement of the parties, and Article 1366 grants electronic written documents the same probative force as paper, provided the signatory is identified and the document's integrity is guaranteed. Certyneo meets these conditions via dual-channel SMS OTP and SHA-256 fingerprint embedded in the PDF. The presumption of reliability under Article 1367 of the Civil Code makes the advanced signature enforceable in commercial court.
- Which level to choose for a commercial contract: SES, AES or QES?
- For a B2B commercial contract, advanced signature (AES) is the professional standard: identity verification via SMS OTP, unique certificate per signatory, qualified timestamp, compliant with Article 26 of eIDAS regulation. SES (simple signature) is sufficient for low-stakes or confirmatory agreements. QES, which is more demanding, is only useful when a text expressly requires a qualified signature, which is rare for typical commercial contracts.
- What types of commercial contracts can be signed with Certyneo?
- All B2B agreements that do not require an authentic form: sales contract, service contract, distribution contract, partnership contract, business introducer contract, master service agreement (MSA) and its successive purchase orders, as well as quotes and commercial proposals. The contract, its annexes (terms and conditions, pricing grid, purchase order referred to in Article L441-1 of the Commercial Code) are merged into a single PDF covered by a SHA-256 fingerprint.
- How to manage multiple signatories from different companies or authorized representatives?
- Certyneo handles multi-party signatures, sequential or parallel: each signatory — legal representative, authorized representative, purchasing director of each company — receives a secure individual link protected by SMS OTP and signs at their own pace. The audit trail precisely identifies who signed, when, and from which device. You track progress in real-time and automatically follow up with missing signatories.
- How to formalize an amendment or contract modification?
- Any modification after signature invalidates the SHA-256 fingerprint of the original document: the modification is instantly detectable. To formalize a change (price, scope, duration), issue an amendment or new contract to be signed with the same AES flow. The signed amendment is archived and linked to the original contract, forming a complete chain of evidence in case of dispute.
- How long must commercial contracts be retained?
- 10 years from the end of the financial year, in accordance with Article L123-22 of the Commercial Code for accounting documents and supporting documents. Certyneo retains the signed contract and its eIDAS audit trail for this entire period, free of charge, with immediate access from your dashboard to respond to tax audits, audits, or commercial disputes.
- Does Certyneo integrate with my CRM for bulk signing?
- Yes, via native Zapier and Make connectors and our webhooks: the creation of a Certyneo envelope can be triggered automatically upon validation of a HubSpot, Pipedrive, Sellsy, Axonaut or any other CRM opportunity. For large volumes, bulk CSV upload sends 50 to 200 contracts at once. Our REST API is documented at certyneo.com/developers for custom integrations.
- Is the signed contract enforceable in commercial court?
- Yes. French case law unanimously recognizes eIDAS-compliant electronic signatures. The presumption of reliability under Article 1367 of the Civil Code makes the advanced signature (AES) enforceable without further demonstration, provided the eIDAS audit trail is produced in court — the proof PDF automatically delivered by Certyneo (OTP identity, qualified timestamp, SHA-256 fingerprint). Recognized by French commercial courts for B2B contractual disputes.
Also read
Sign your first commercial contract online
Permanent free plan (5 envelopes / month), no credit card required. Timestamped agreement enforceable in commercial court. eIDAS audit trail and 10-year archival included.