remote electronic signature for K&H corporate clients

Authentic official documents can be created electronically as well as on paper. Electronic signatures are legally valid, trusted and officially used in industrialised countries around the world, but the laws governing them vary from country to country.

Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC. The eIDAS Regulation is directly applicable in all EU Member States, including Hungary, and provides a consistent legal framework for the acceptance of electronic signatures across the EU with a view to creating a single digital market.

The eIDAS Regulation distinguishes between three types of e-signatures, all of which can represent valid legal declarations, but have different evidential value and therefore serve different purposes:

• ‚Simple’ Electronic Signature (SES)
  • electronic data that are attached or logically assigned to other electronic data and used by the signatory to sign. For example, a name at the end of an email message qualifies as an electronic signature.
• Advanced Electronic Signature (AES or AdES)
  • an electronic signature, which
    - can only be linked to the signatory;
    - can be used to identify the signatory;
    - is created using data used to create an electronic signature that can, with a high degree of certainty, be used only by the signatory;
    - is linked to the data which have been signed in such a way that any subsequent changes to the data can be traced
• Qualified Electronic Signature (QES)
  • an electronic signature with enhanced security,
    - generated by a Qualified Electronic Signature device (e.g. smart card, USB token or mobile app that generates a one-off password);
    - based on a qualified certificate issued by a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP).​​

Qualified electronic signature is therefore a more secure form of advanced electronic signature and the only type of signature that has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature in the European Union.

Qualified trust service providers issuing qualified organisational or personal certificates for qualified electronic signatures, who operate subject to strict legal requirements and regulatory supervision, are registered on the EU Trusted Lists (EUTL). To be listed on the EUTL is obligatory for qualified trust service providers, while non-qualified trust service providers may also be listed, but that is not required.

There are differences in both content and usage. In case of an organisation certificate, in addition to the name of the certificate holder, the certificate will also state the name of the organisation to which the certificate holder is linked, and this type of certificate can only be used to sign on behalf of that organisation. A personal certificate, on the other hand, does not contain any organisational information and can also be used for private purposes. For the purpose of signing for a company, a personal certificate is typically used when a person is the official signatory of several companies and does not wish to hold a separate organisation-level certificate for each company.

According to Act CXXX of 2016 on the Code of Civil Procedure (Code of Civil Procedure), an electronic document is considered a private document with full probative force when the signatory has added to it their electronic signature or stamp which is qualified or is based on a qualified certificate, or, if required by law, a time stamp.

A time stamp proves that a document existed at a certain point in time. It is issued by an external time certification service, independent of the signatory, during the signature process, at the request of the signatory. The time stamp is attached to the signature by the device used for signing. When a time stamp is used, the time of signing is determined by the time stamp and not by the built-in clock of the device used for signing.

The entirely paperless banking matters managed by the Corporate Customer Service can be found under the important information section.

Electronically signed client documents may be sent and received via the banking cases available in the K&H e-post service - K&H Bank’s electronic mailbox service.

Only qualified electronic signatures or qualified certificate-based enhanced security level electronic signatures are accepted by the Bank. In addition, a time stamp must be included on the document.

The qualified certificate for electronic signatures held by the company’s signatory can be organisational or personal, but it must be issued by a qualified trust service provider pursuant to the eIDAS Regulation, and listed on the EU Trusted Lists (EUTL).

In order to gain access to the time stamp service and the qualified certificate for electronic signatures, you must contact a qualified trust service provider subject to the eIDAS Regulation, such as Microsec, Netlock or NISZ, or a foreign service provider, who is on the trust lists of the European Union. All the services provided by qualified trust service providers on the EUTL are of the same value, also in respect of banking services.

We recommend choosing a signature package that includes a time stamp service in addition to the qualified electronic signature certificate, so that the technical conditions required by the Bank can be met via a single subscription. If you are interested in our offer available to K&H Bank's corporate clients only, please contact the Corporate Customer Service or your dedicated relationship manager.

The qualified certificate for electronic signatures may be installed on a chip card by the qualified trust service provider (so the signature key is also stored on the device). The provider can also offer a remote key management, such as the ability to sign using a mobile application (in which case the signature key is held by the trust service provider), or a software solution where the key is stored on the computer used for signing. None of the above solutions are mandatory for our customers - they are free to choose the solution that is most suitable and convenient for them. For more information on the details of each solution, please contact the relevant qualified trust service provider.

The registration of the qualified certificate for electronic signatures allows for the verification of electronically signed documents by the authorised representatives of the company without the need for personal contact, which makes paperless document management smoother and more convenient. The registration can be initiated in a dedicated K&H e-post banking case, in the certificate registration banking case, by electronically signing a downloadable declaration. The declaration must be electronically signed using the certificate which the signatory intends to use in the future when signing documents for the Bank.

If you have any questions regarding the acceptance of electronic signatures by K&H Bank, please first contact the Corporate Customer Service by e-mail at info.customerservice@kh.hu or by phone at +36 1 468 7777 or +36 1 468 7755, or get in touch with your dedicated corporate relationship manager.