Signing your articles online: electronic signature step by step

Quick answer. The articles of a SAS, SASU, SARL or EURL signed privately can be signed online. Choose an eIDAS signature level (advanced or qualified), a trust service provider, verify the shareholders' identity, have everyone sign the same version, archive with probative value, then file with the INPI single window.

When you set up a company, signing the articles of association is the step that turns a project into a legal entity. Many founders want to avoid a physical meeting of all shareholders, who are sometimes spread across several cities or countries. The electronic signature meets that need, provided you follow a few precise rules that determine how robust the document is in law.

The practical question is not whether you can sign online, but how to sign so that the articles withstand a challenge, an audit or a dispute between shareholders. That is where the real value of the process lies.

Yes, articles drawn up privately can be signed electronically. This applies to the articles of a SAS, a SASU, a SARL or an EURL prepared without a notary.

The Civil Code sets the framework. Its article 1366 states that an electronic document has the same probative force as paper, on two conditions: being able to identify the person it comes from and guaranteeing the document's integrity. Article 1367 adds that the qualified electronic signature carries a presumption of reliability.

Some acts, however, fall outside the simple electronic signature. Contributing real estate to the share capital, or any act requiring the authentic form, calls for a notary. If your incorporation involves such a contribution, the fully online route does not apply to that part of the file.

Our firm systematically checks, before drafting, whether the make-up of the contributions requires a notary. This scoping step avoids restarting the whole procedure later.

The eIDAS regulation (EU) No 910/2014 defines three signature levels, offering increasing guarantees of identification and security.

The advanced signature creates a reliable link between the signatory and the document and detects any later change. The qualified signature goes further: it is legally treated as a handwritten signature and reverses the burden of proof, since it is presumed reliable.

Trade-off. For ordinary articles, an advanced signature is enough in the vast majority of files. The qualified signature is warranted when the stakes are high: large capital, investors present, a structure with several shareholders who may fall into conflict, or a wish to benefit from the presumption of reliability from the outset. The extra cost should be weighed against the risk of having to prove, later, that the signature was valid.

Here is the sequence we follow in incorporation files signed online.

1. Choose the signature level suited to the file's stakes.
2. Select a trust service provider that supplies an evidence file.
3. Verify each shareholder's identity before signing.
4. Have the final version, identical for all shareholders, signed.
5. Archive the signed articles with probative value.
6. File the application with the INPI single window.

1. Choose the right signature level#

Set the target level first, as it drives the choice of provider and the identity check. An advanced signature suits most articles; a qualified signature secures the evidence.

2. Select a trust service provider#

Pick a platform offering the chosen level and keeping a timestamp and an audit trail. The decisive point is not the interface but the evidence file: it is what will, where needed, establish identity and integrity within the meaning of article 1366. We recommend no standard price, as offers vary with needs.

3. Verify the signatories' identity#

Each shareholder must be reliably identified before signing. Depending on the chosen level, the check ranges from a simple ID document to a stronger verification. Insufficient identification weakens the whole chain of evidence.

4. Have all shareholders sign the articles#

Launch the signing workflow on the final version. All shareholders sign the same file, with no edits once the procedure is open. Any later change breaks the integrity guarantee.

5. Archive the articles with probative value#

Keep the signed file, the certificate and the evidence file in probative-value archiving. This storage preserves integrity over time and remains enforceable against a third party, the authorities or between shareholders.

6. File the application with the INPI single window#

The incorporation filing is fully digital via the INPI single window. Attach the signed articles and the supporting documents. The window forwards them to the relevant bodies and triggers the registration.

For the other incorporation formalities, our guide to creating a SASU step by step covers the whole process, and our comparison of SAS, SASU, SARL and EURL helps you choose the form before you even sign.

Our reading. Signing articles online is not a gimmick, but it does not excuse a lack of rigour. The value of an electronically signed act rests on three pillars: identifying the signatory, the document's integrity and the preservation of evidence. A consumer platform that does not return a usable evidence file weakens the whole thing, even if the screen says "signed".

In incorporation files, the most frequent sticking point is not the signature itself but the archiving. A founder contacted us after signing his articles in a free tool, without keeping the certificate or the audit trail. The document existed, but proving who had signed what, and when, was hard to reconstruct. Nothing was lost, but peace of mind was.

The underestimated risk. Many founders confuse "online signature" with "a scan of a handwritten signature pasted into a PDF". The latter offers none of the eIDAS guarantees and does not carry the probative force of article 1366. Inserting an image of a signature is not signing electronically.

What the authorities look at. At filing, the INPI single window expects complete articles, dated and signed by all shareholders. In any later challenge, the ability to identify the signatory and demonstrate the document's integrity prevails. The qualified signature, presumed reliable, puts the founder in the most comfortable position, but a well-archived advanced signature remains solid.

The electronic signature involves collecting identity data. The GDPR minimisation principle calls for gathering only the data needed to verify identity, and no more. The chosen provider processes this data on your behalf: it is worth checking its safeguards.

As chartered accountants, we are also bound by professional secrecy over our clients' data. This obligation governs how we handle ID documents and articles in incorporation files.

2026 points of attention. Digitalisation is reaching the entire life of the business, from articles to invoicing. Anticipating probative archiving from incorporation onwards avoids having to reconstruct evidence later. The logic of preservation and integrity found in the life cycle of a digital document applies to articles too.

In practice. Before launching the signing, gather the final version of the articles, the list of shareholders with their ID documents, and the chosen signature level. Check that the provider returns a certificate and an audit trail. Plan where you will archive the evidence file. This preparation avoids restarting the workflow over a forgotten comma.

We support this step as part of our company formation support, and our firm's legal advice steps in when drafting the articles raises governance questions. For those hesitating to get support, our view on the online chartered accountant clarifies the differences in service.

The evidence mechanisms themselves are detailed in our article on the legal value of the electronic signature, which complements this article focused on the articles of association.