Sign an employment contract (permanent, fixed-term) online
Employment contract between an employer and an employee, signed electronically with the same legal value as a paper contract. Compliant with article L1221-1 of the Labour Code (contract formation), article L1242-12 (mandatory written fixed-term contract transmitted within 2 days), eIDAS regulation — advanced signature recommended, 50-year archiving (contract duration + limitation periods).
- Legal framework
- L1221-1 + L1242-12 Labour Code
- Signature level
- eIDAS AES recommended
- Legal archiving
- 10 years included
What is a dematerialized employment contract?
The employment contract is the document by which an employer and an employee formalize their working relationship. For permanent contracts, no written form is mandatory under French law (art. L1221-1 Labour Code), but practice requires one for evidential and conventional reasons. For fixed-term contracts (art. L1242-12), a written form is mandatory on pain of requalification as permanent; it must be transmitted to the employee no later than 2 working days from hiring (art. L1242-13). Advanced electronic signature + qualified timestamp allow strict compliance with this deadline and avoid the risk of requalification — a major risk in case of employment tribunal dispute.
Why sign electronically?
2-day fixed-term contract deadline met to the second
Article L1242-13 requires transmission of the fixed-term contract to the employee within 2 working days on pain of requalification as permanent. Certyneo precisely timestamps the sending (and signature) with qualified timestamp — enforceable before the employment tribunal.
Accelerated onboarding — start the same day
No need to wait for postal delivery of the signed paper contract. The employee signs from their phone and can start immediately, with direct access to their digital safe for all HR documents (contract, amendments, pay slips).
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The employment contract must be kept for the entire duration of employment + 5 years after termination (art. L1471-1 Labour Code). In practice 50 years to cover pension career reconstruction. Certyneo automatically archives the contract + eIDAS audit trail for this period.
Audit trail enforceable before the employment tribunal
Each contract is delivered with a proof PDF: employee identity verified by SMS OTP, qualified timestamp, SHA-256 hash, IP. Enforceable before the employment tribunal in case of dispute over the hiring date, nature of contract or terms.
4-step procedure
From preparation to legal archiving, in less than 5 minutes.
1. Prepare the contract
Upload your permanent or fixed-term contract template (mandatory details: identity of parties, hiring date, position, place of work, working hours, compensation, collective agreement, trial period, reason and end date of fixed-term contract).
2. Add signatories
Employer + employee. If guarantor (apprentice, minor), add legal representative. Each receives a personalized secure link by email with SMS OTP.
3. Choose the eIDAS level
Advanced signature (AES) recommended: identity verification by SMS OTP, unique certificate per signatory, qualified timestamp. Compliant with article 26 of eIDAS regulation and enforceable before the employment tribunal.
4. Immediate onboarding
The finalized contract + audit trail are automatically archived for 50 years in the digital safe of the employee and employer. Onboarding can start immediately.
Frequently asked questions
- Can an employment contract be signed electronically?
- Yes, without restriction. No provision of the Labour Code requires handwritten signature. Article 1366 of the Civil Code recognizes electronic writing with the same probative force as paper writing. Certyneo''s advanced signature (AES) meets probative requirements in case of employment tribunal dispute.
- Is the 2-day fixed-term contract deadline really met with electronic signature?
- Yes, and with greater precision than paper. Certyneo precisely timestamps the sending of the contract to the employee (qualified timestamp under eIDAS). The 2-day deadline runs from the actual hiring date; electronic signature allows transmission on the same day, even before the start date.
- What happens in case of dispute over the hiring date?
- Certyneo audit trail-n keessatti mallattoo gosa sadarkaa kallata mallattoo timestamp waliigalaa qabu ni eenyummaa — jidhaala Giddugaleessa Hojii irratti mirkaneeffamuu danda'a. Qooda itti hin jijjiiramne "kontarakitaa yeroo duraa isaa" ykn "gonkumaa hin fudhatamanne" irratti jidhaala. Mirkaneeffannaan teeknikaal itti hin laalama.
- Sadarkaan mallattoo maali kontarakitaa hojii keessatti?
- Mallattoo ol aanaa (AES) gorsiteeffama. Kunis mirkaneeffannaa waliigalaa (art. 1367 Code civil) ni fiduu fi ogummaa mirkaneeffannaa ni guutuu. SES xiqqaatee dhaabbate maallaqa prud'homaal irratti; QES irra caalaa guddaa.
- Kontarakitaa hojii yeroo maallii qabachuu qaba?
- Yeroo seera hojii jijjiirama sh'annee (art. L1471-1), wagga 5 irratti erga bubisuu booda hanga guutuu dura. Haala ijaa keessatti, wagga 50 qabachuu karaa hojii deebi'uu (pension) keessatti karoorsuu keessaa gargaaruu. Certyneo kontarakitaa + audit trail yeroo kana keessatti otomatiikaan kan kuusuu.
- Dabalagaan saaxiluun sa'aatii elektronikii keessatti ni danda'ama?
- Eeyyee — dabalagaan kontarakitaa hojii (jijjiirama hojii, bakka, gaddisaadhaa, yeroo) akkuma kontarakitaa jalqabaa: mallattoo ol aanaa + horodatage waliigalaa. Dabalagaan fooldara salariin tokko keessatti kontarakitaa waliin kan kuusuu.
- Kontarakitaa waraqaa lamaa qofatti ta'uu qaba?
- Artik. L1242-12 waraqaa barreeffama tokko kan salaatii gargaaruu himee CDD keessatti. Mallattoo elektronikii wajjin, barbaachisummaan PDF kan saaxilame jireennyi salariin niguddina dijitaalaa keessatti + PDF ibsa poostaa irratti kan ergaa. Waraqaa lamaa barbaachifamuu.
- Kontarakitaa saaxiluun elektronikii Giddugaleessa Hojii irratti mirkaneeffamuu danda'ama?
- Eeyyee — seera Giddugaleessa Hojii saaxiluun elektronikii eIDAS qabu ni mirkanaa'a. Mirkaneeffannaan waliigalaa art. 1367 Code civil saaxiluun ol aanaa (AES) mirkaneeffamuu danda'a illee mirkaneeffannaa dabalagaa hin barbaachifatuu, mirkaneeffannaa audit trail ti'e ta'etti.
Akka dubbisuuf
Kontarakitaa hojii jalqaba kee saaxil toora interneetii irratti
Plana ittin kaffaltiin (envelope 5 / ji'a), kaart baankii hin barbaachifne. Code travail fi eIDAS waliin adhimma. Audit trail fi qabachuu wagga 50 kan dabalatee.