An electronic signature (EP) is a way to confirm a person's identity without his presence. An ordinary citizen often needs a simple EP. With its help, you can apply to government agencies, order bank cards, and so on. (Read more about this in a separate article.)
But business representatives cannot do with a simple EP. They need a qualified enhanced electronic signature. This type is the most reliable, it is equal to the one that was delivered with his own hand. Therefore, with its help, you can do almost everything: remotely sell property, participate in auctions, exchange documents with departments and contractors. In general, to do all the paperwork online, without chasing couriers and without printing a million pages of various contracts.
Previously, you had to pay for obtaining a qualified enhanced electronic signature (CUEP). Now legal entities (or rather, managers who have the right to act on behalf of the company without a power of attorney), individual entrepreneurs and notaries can issue it for free.
The exact list of centers with addresses and contacts is available on the tax website. You can apply for a CUEP at any certification center, regardless of the place of business registration.
The application for signature is submitted both personally and through the account of an individual entrepreneur or a legal entity on the tax website. However, you will have to come to the institution to get it.
You can also get a CUEP in some organizations. There are seven of them now:
The list may change, in its most recent version it is available on the website of the Federal Tax Service. It is better to specify exactly how the procedure for obtaining a signature takes place on the website of the chosen intermediary.
When making a CUEP, you need to have:
In addition, you need to bring with you a certified carrier of key information — a special USB flash drive, on which the signature data will be recorded. This is a USB‑format carrier certified by the FSB or FSTEC of Russia, for example, Rutoken EDS 2.0, JaCarta GOST, ESMART Token. However, if you issue a CUEP through trusted organizations, sometimes you can avoid personal expenses. For example, banks sometimes provide a carrier for free if a business has an account with this institution.
It is usually done when applying, but the period can stretch up to five days. The signature will be valid for 15 months.
