Note:
An electronically signed document's legal validity depends on the laws of your country. Contact a lawyer or legal advisor with any questions or concerns regarding the legal security and effect of electronic signatures. Personio provides the technical prerequisites and the tool for the use of signatures and assumes no liability. Note that the information in this article may not be complete.
This article provides a summary of the types of electronic signatures Personio offers and their legal validity. In Personio, you can request electronic signatures on documents like contracts, agreements, declarations of consent, and more. The legal validity of signatures varies depending on document type, local laws, or other factors.
Personio uses Docusign to provide an electronic signature environment directly in the platform. For legal questions about electronic signatures, contact a lawyer or legal advisor of your choice.
Types of electronic signatures in Personio
The eIDAS regulation of the EU defines three types of electronic signatures. Each type has a different level of security and legal value. Personio offers all three types, depending on your plan. The table below describes each signature type.
| Signature Type | Description |
| Simple electronic signature | Doesn't specify any detailed identification check and has no security value. It's simply electronic data that you attach to the document or link logically. |
| Advanced electronic signature | Requires extra security steps, like two-factor authentication or ID verification. This ensures you can verify the signatory's identity and that the integrity of the signed data is checked. The signature can be uniquely linked to the signatory to identify them. Cryptographic protection ensures the content of the document maintains its integrity and authenticity. |
| Qualified electronic signature |
Offers the highest security and legal value and is legally equivalent to a handwritten, wet-ink signature. Qualified signatures require identity verification on top of the requirements for advanced signatures. Only a certified Qualified Trust Service Provider (Docusign's certification) can issue these signatures. Qualified signatures are available for Core Pro customers on a per-usage basis. Find out more about qualified electronic signatures. |
Always check with a legal expert to choose the right signature type for your needs.
For more details, see DocuSign's explanation of signature types. To read about DocuSign being ISO compliant, visit their website: https://www.docusign.com/trust/compliance.
Note:
For certain contracts, the law prescribes a qualified electronic signature or a handwritten signature. In Germany, this applies to all documents that require the written form. For some legal documents relating to employment, the use of electronic signatures is prohibited. Be sure to consult a legal expert.
Certificate of completion
For every document signed electronically in Personio, the system automatically creates a certificate of completion. This certificate includes all the electronic verification data from the signing process and serves as proof of the document's integrity. It shows details about the document, the signing events, a decline reason if applicable, and a summary.
Administrators can download a certificate of completion from the Signatures overview page.
For more details on the certificate of completion, visit the DocuSign website.
More information
To learn more about electronic signatures, see the following: