Digital Signing of Documents | A Complete Walkthrough of the Revolutionary Workflow

Digital Signatures are being recognized widely in the Indian markets now.

Digital signatures are rapidly replacing the traditional pen & paper signing of documents. Be it in the Human resources, Fintech industry or the software industry; Digital Signatures have their application in every domain.

Digitally signing PDF documents is not only convenient but has also become necessary for businesses expanding globally.

The businesses going paperless and the workplaces turning into remote locations are the primary reasons for the increasing popularity of Digital Signatures.

In this short article, we will look at some of the details about the Digital Signatures and Digital Signature solutions that help you digitally sign PDF online from literally any corner of the world!

Digital Signature Online – Understanding In Simple Words

A Digital Signature is:

• A type of an electronic signature
• Digital Signatures are used to authenticate the source of the data exchanged over various means like documents or e-mails.
• Digital Signatures are commonly used by the industries like software, Fintech, HR, and almost all the domains that involve paperwork on a daily basis.

A Digital Signature Certificate contains essential details of the users like Name, Address, PIN code, e-mail address, date of issuance of the certificate, etc.

For example, The Indian GST taxpayers must validate the Signature in PDF using the Digital Signing software for GST transactions like e-Invoicing under GST.

To learn more on how to validate digital signature in PDF, watch the demo in the link provided.

Digitally Sign PDF – Perks & Benefits

The activity to Digitally sign PDF online can come extremely handy when dealing in a completely paperless world.

Following are some benefits of the digital signatures, listed below:

1.The Authenticity Of The Document:

When a receiver sees a digital signature on the document he has received, he can be sure about the authenticity of this document and the authenticity of the party who has signed it.

As a certified authority issues the digital certificate, you can trust the digital signature and the authenticity of the source.

However, a word of caution here is that the authority issuing these DSCs should be government recognized Certifying Authority (CAs).

Hence, the businesses must follow a due scrutiny process while choosing their Digital Signing software vendor for digital signature online.

Like in India, GSTHero SafeSign is offered by a Government-appointed GST Suvidha Provider, which taxpayers can use for all their GST filing requirements.

2.Document Turnaround Time & Costs Are Cut Down

When an individual signs a document on paper, he has to scan this document, fax the physical documents to the other signing party. Then the other party shall sign them and again send back these documents to the counterparty.

This is a long process and increases the document turnaround time drastically.

Compared to this physical form of documents, you can quickly digitally sign PDF documents using digital signing software, which will help businesses process the document sooner.

3.Legally Valid

Digital Signature Certificates have a legal status and are admissible in the court of law as per the provisions under the IT Act, 2000.

Hence, there is no reason to doubt the authenticity of the digital signature when you transact with your suppliers.

4.Integrity of the Document:

Digitally signed documents are very difficult to tamper with. They cannot be easily edited or altered, thus protecting the integrity of the data.

Even for every GST return filing, the documents uploaded on the government portal should be digitally signed with a valid ‘Digital Signature Certificate’.

Even for the GST registration, the documents to be uploaded on the GST portal should be digitally signed with a Class 2 Digital Signature Certificate.

Who issues a Digital Signature?

A licensed Certifying Authority (CA) issues the digital signature. Certifying Authority (CA) means a person who has been granted a license to issue a digital signature certificate under Section 24 of the Indian IT-Act 2000.

Hence, businesses should take utmost care while choosing the Digital Signature provider. The provider should be legally registered with the government & should have been granted a valid license to issue DSC.

Digital signing software like GSTHero SafeSign is 100% compliant with the Indian markets & compliance laws of the land and is also globally recognized.

Digital Signing Of Documents- Multi-Facet Applications

1.Banking

The banking industry in India has evolved after the historic demonetization and then the Covid-19 pandemic.

The way people exchange money has changed, and so have the banking activities like account opening, Demat account creation, loan applications etc.

All these activities involve a common task that is digitally signing PDF online.

Digitally signing PDF documents of the banks have reduced the turnaround time of the papers and are bringing the processes to closure soon, unlike before.

A Task As Simple As Opening A Bank Account Can Be Done Online.

Your account will be created within a few minutes by logging in to the bank’s website.

(Subject to the verification of all the documents provided by you.)

Other Significant Applications Of Digital Signatures In Banking:

• Loan sanction letters
• Demat account opening
• Account openings & closure forms
• Balance confirmations
• Application forms for any additional services

GST Return Filing Activities & Related Activities

• Taxpayers must digitally sign PDF documents related to their GST return & upload them to the GST portal online.
• Digitally signing PDF online also finds its application in the government activities like issuance of Indian Passports, generating form 7/12 for the land buying and selling procedures, application for renewing the driving license, applications for the birth or marriage certificates etc.

However, the applications of Digital Signing are not only limited to this. It finds applications in other fields like legal, accounting, taxation, insurance, etc.

In a Nutshell….

Digital Signatures are now penetrated in the workflow of every business industry.

Hence, businesses must equip themselves with a robust and user-friendly Digital Signing software to digitally sign all your PDF & word documents.

Stay updated; stay ahead!

Until the next time….