Payments via the Internet have long become commonplace, but the exchange of documents, especially between individuals, is still in paper form. A qualified electronic signature is designed to solve this problem and facilitate document exchange. Legal entities have been working with EDS for a long time, individual entrepreneurs use it to transmit some data (for example, VAT when renting government premises), while individuals can use their signature to gain access to the State Services website. How to get an enhanced qualified electronic signature and what benefits does it provide?
What it is?
A qualified electronic signature is the details confirming the truth of the electronic document, the absence of distortions in it from the moment the signature was actually installed. It also allows you to establish the ownership of the document. Such details can be obtained only as a result of cryptographic conversion of code, information.
An electronic signature certificate is a document confirming the right to own a public key of an electronic signature. The certificate can only be obtained at the CA (certification center) or at the office of their authorized representatives.
The certificate holder is an individual who has received an electronic signature certificate in his name. Each owner of the certificate is provided with two keys: public and private. Verification of electronic signatures is carried out using the public key. It, in turn, is associated with a private key, through which the electronic signature is generated and the document is signed.
Classification
A simple electronic signature, as the name implies, is the simplest version of EDS. It also uses passwords, codes or other means that confirm the formation of the signature by the owner.
Enhanced unqualified electronic signature can only be obtained using cryptographic information conversion. Here you can not do without a private signature key. Through such an electronic signature, it is possible not only to identify the person who signed the document, but also to detect changes made after signing.
An enhanced qualified electronic signature has all the signs of being unqualified. The only difference is that for its verification and creation more serious means of cryptographic protection are used, they must be certified by the FSB of Russia. In addition, there is a difference: a qualified certificate of electronic signature can only be issued at a certification center that has passed accreditation. The list of accredited CAs can be viewed on the website of the State Services.
Equivalence
Federal Law No. 63 recognizes a document signed with any electronic signature, both simple and enhanced, equal to a paper document signed manually. However, there is one feature: between the parties making electronic document exchange, an agreement must be previously signed.
A qualified signature is also an analogue of a signature made with one's own hand, however, it can replace the seal of the organization. The legal force of documents signed by a qualified digital signature is recognized by regulatory authorities. They can be used in court.
Application area
First of all, this, of course, is electronic document management. Electronic signatures will help establish external and internal exchange of documents in all cases when a handwritten signature is required.
Internal document management uses unqualified and qualified electronic signatures to endorse and approve agreements and other documents regulating the organization’s internal processes. For example, if a director signs an agreement by electronic signature and he is transferred to execution.
Main factor
With external document management, the presence of a qualified electronic signature is a very important condition, since it is she who is the guarantor of legal force. In other cases, the electronic document is not recognized by the regulatory authorities as the original, which means that it does not have any legal force and cannot be used in legal proceedings. In addition, a document signed by an enhanced qualified digital signature can be stored in a digital archive, while its legitimacy will be preserved.
EDS can be used for reporting to regulatory authorities. Many have already appreciated how quickly and conveniently electronic reporting is done. Moreover, each organization can choose the most convenient way for itself, whether it is 1C products, separate software, or the FSS and the Federal Tax Service sites. A qualified certificate of an electronic signature key is the basis of any such actions, it must be issued by an authorized or accredited certification authority. But the method of sending is not critical.
Receiving public services
All citizens of the Russian Federation can obtain an electronic signature in order to use it for receiving public services, however, a qualified certificate of verification of an electronic signature in this case is not required: the simplest, unqualified EDS will be enough, it is quite suitable for the needs of an individual. With the help of it, any citizen can sign an electronic application, which can be sent to the executive authority if such a document flow is possible.
How to get a qualified electronic signature for an individual? The easiest way to get a universal electronic card, which is issued from January 1, 2013 and has a built-in enhanced qualified electronic signature. Such a card is a unique identification tool of a citizen, with its help it is possible to pay, order and receive various government services via the Internet. By its concept, the card is designed to replace many documents, such as a pension certificate and medical policy, to combine them with an electronic wallet, travel ticket and electronic signature.
Using ES
Enhanced qualified electronic signature is suitable for both internal and inter-corporate workflow. It can be obtained at the Certification Authority accredited by the RF Ministry of Communications. It protects the document from changes, confirms its integrity and authorship.
Enhanced qualified ES can help in solving a wide range of problems. For example, it is used for reporting to the tax authorities and for the exchange of electronic documents. This version of the certificate has the greatest number of possible functions, but this does not mean that it is more convenient for each organization to use it. Firstly, the price of the certificate directly depends on the number of functions. Secondly, when choosing a less functional certificate, you need to make sure that the available capabilities fully satisfy the needs of the organization.
There are also situations where the type of certificate used is determined by the party receiving the document. For example, there are document management operators that accept certificates only from their certifying center, therefore, when choosing a certificate, you must also make sure that there are no restrictions on its use in the necessary information system.
Benefits of Electronic Document Exchange
Since now all organizations and companies have the opportunity to organize the exchange of legally binding electronic documents, it is worth discussing the advantages of this process.
First of all, this is the speed of delivery of documents. Regardless of the counterparty’s address, the delivery time for documents will be ten times less than usual paper ones. The use of electronic documents also reduces the costs associated with the preparation and transfer of paper copies.
There are more serious economic benefits, because electronic document management implies a significant acceleration of business processes. The simplest example of this is the quick conclusion and activation of transactions, due to which a greater cash flow is achieved. That is, having established electronic document management, the company will be able to increase profit per unit time.
Automation
Also, the use of a qualified electronic signature key can reduce the time for processing, sending documents and practically automate this process. According to the law, letters requiring legal force, invoices, bills of lading, invoices, acts of work performed, acts of rendering services, invoices, acts of reconciliation of mutual settlements, consignment notes may participate in an inter-corporate exchange, according to the law.
Due to the speed and reliability of electronic document exchange, companies can not worry about simple and timely reporting to tax authorities. It also allows you to save part of the money.
Important factors
An inter-corporate document flow in electronic form makes sense only if each document has legal force and can be used in court or other instances. To give legal significance to an electronic document, it is necessary to solve some problems. Firstly, the process of signing and sending an electronic document to contractors, and secondly, the acceptance and verification of a qualified electronic signature on documents received from contractors. Thirdly, it is necessary to organize the storage and processing of already signed documents, archive storage and navigation on it. Fourthly, it is important to ensure the preservation of legitimacy for documents in archival storage.
A simple solution
To solve the first two problems, you can use the services of inter-corporate exchange, which are managed by electronic document management operators. Choosing such a service, it is necessary to take into account some factors, such as the availability of the appropriate licenses for the operator, the ability to integrate the exchange service into the corporate information system and the charging of documents.
Two other tasks can be solved using the electronic document management system, which already has all the necessary functionality. If the initial formation of documents occurs in the accounting system, you can integrate an electronic document management system into it.
In the absence of such a system, these tasks can be partially assigned to the exchange service operator.