Electronic signature in the Financial Supervisory Authority

The Financial Supervisory Authority (FIN-FSA) may sign documents electronically with an eIDAS-qualified electronic signature certificate provided by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) and may also accept electronic signatures based on such a certificate in the documents it receives.

Documents signed by the FIN-FSA

The FIN-FSA may sign documents electronically using an eIDAS-qualified electronic signature certificate provided by the DVV. The electronic signature was introduced in the FIN-FSA in November 2020 and, as a rule, it has been used from the beginning of 2021.

On a case-by-case basis, the FIN-FSA may also sign documents using other electronic signing tools, for example when signing contracts.

In addition to the electronic signature, the FIN-FSA also uses traditional handwritten signatures.

Documents received by the FIN-FSA

The FIN-FSA also accepts electronic signatures based on an eIDAS-qualified certificate in documents it receives. On a case-by-case basis, signatures made using other tools may also be accepted in documents received.

Verifying an electronic signature

The authenticity of an electronic signature made with a DVV electronic certificate can be verified in the PDF document validation service provided by the DVV. The Adobe Acrobat program also verifies document signatures automatically. Adobe Acrobat trusts, by default, the EU Commission’s lists of trusted certificates (EUTL), where the DVV’s certificates can be found.

The signature of an electronic document can only be verified when the document is processed electronically. The authenticity of an electronic signature cannot be verified for a printed document.

Further information about electronic signatures can be found on the websites of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre. Acceptance of electronic signatures is provided for in the EU eIDAS Regulation.