What is a digital signature, and what does it look like?

For years we've been used to signing documents and contracts with our written signature on a physical piece of paper or via a touch screen interface. Throughout the years, the signature has evolved from the traditional written on paper to the electronic inputted on a screen and now to the digital using certificates. However, the digital signature is quite different in key areas, which you can read more about here. Continuing, we'll focus on what a digital signature looks like using the example below.

 

As you can see from the example, the document got an additional page after it was signed containing the digital signature.

In this example, a total of 2 people have signed the document. Both persons are validated via their digital ID (here, it was the Danish digital ID known as NemID) or employee signature. Both the date and time of the signature are registered, and you can comfortably see what the individual signatory used to sign the document. In this case, NemID with the associated key card was used.

The document is sealed off when the signing process is completed, and the content is unchangeable. All pages in the document are also provided with a unique reference number.

A document signed using SignIt, is legally valid and fully follows the guidelines within both eIDAS and GDPR. The guarantee is issued by Nets, a part of Nexi Group.