How to obtain an electronic signature or stamp certificate for business

Any individual representing an entity (organisation) registered in the Monaco Trade and Industry Registry, who is expressly authorised to do so by its legal representative(s), can apply for electronic signature or stamp certificates from the Business Development Agency by submitting a registration form.

The registration form can be submitted by:

• A legal representative of the organisation
• The certificate beneficiary:
  • The beneficiary is designated as the holder of the certificate in the case of a signature certificate, i.e. one that enables the electronic signature in their name of an individual authorised to represent a legal entity, or an authentication certificate, i.e. one which enables the formal identification of an individual authorised to represent a legal entity
  • The beneficiary is designated as the certificate manager in the case of a stamp certificate, the electronic equivalent of an ink seal (stamp) of a legal entity 
• An authorised representative for certification is expressly authorised by the legal representative(s) to manage registration forms and collect certificates instead of the beneficiaries. A legal representative of an organisation is designated as the authorised representative for certification by default

Certificate holders and managers must be expressly authorised to apply for certificates by the legal representative(s) in order to submit a registration form.

The supporting documents to be provided when submitting a registration form depend on the status of the individual involved: Legal Representative, Certificate Holder/Manager or Authorised Representative for Certification. Please refer to the relevant tab in the Collating the documents section.

When submitting the registration form, the supporting documents listed below must be provided in digital format using the online service.

It is vital that you provide all supporting documents relating to your situation when submitting your registration form, so that a Registration Operator can review the admissibility of your application.

The registration form must be submitted to the Business Development Agency using the special online service

Before submitting the registration form via the online service, applicants are advised to:

1. Identify the required supporting documents in accordance with their circumstances 
2. Download from this page the templates to be completed for the supporting documents to be sent 
3. Complete the documents, print them and have them signed by the relevant parties 
4. Scan the documents in one of the accepted formats

Please note: supporting documents that have been signed electronically using a valid electronic certificate issued by the Business Development Agency must be sent directly as they are and should not be rescanned after printing, as this will cause them to lose their probative value.

Applicants should then submit the registration form using the online service by completing the form online and then sending the required supporting documents.

Once the registration form has been sent, they will receive an electronic acknowledgement by email.

The registration form will be reviewed by a Registration Operator. Applicants may be asked to provide additional information as part of this review.

Requests for additional information will be sent to applicants by email, and applicants will be asked to provide the required information using the online service.

Once the review is complete, applicants will receive notification of the results by email. A letter setting out whether the application has been determined to be admissible or non-admissible will be made available in the applicant’s user area providing details of the review.

If the application is approved, the applicant will be contacted by a Registration Operator, by email or telephone, to arrange an appointment at the offices of the Business Development Agency to finalise the application and collect the requested certificates.

Applications are finalised and certificates collected from the reception desk of the Business Development Agency, during an appointment arranged in advance with a Registration Operator.

The appointment can be attended by the holder/manager of each certificate, an authorised representative for certification or a legal representative of the organisation.

At the appointment, the individual who goes to the reception desk (legal representative, certificate holder/manager or authorised representative for certification) must produce the following documents:

• Valid proof of their identity to present to the Operator
• The original document relating to the attestations about the certificate holder or manager
• The original mandate for the authorised representative for certification, if applicable
• The original undertaking by the authorised representative for certification, if applicable

Supporting documents with a valid electronic signature provided via the online service do not need to be submitted at the reception desk in paper format with a handwritten signature.

The individual who attends the appointment at the reception desk must pay the certificate fee before the certificate can be issued to them, in accordance with the current rates set by Ministerial Decree, i.e. €120 per certificate.

The smart card on which the certificate is recorded and a paper document noting the certificate activation code are given to the certificate holder.

In the case of a server stamp, the certificate is produced by the Operator once the fee has been paid. This operation concludes with the emailing of the stamp to the certificate manager.

Once the certificate holder has received the smart card on which their certificate is recorded, they can activate the certificate by clicking on the link that is emailed automatically to the address provided in the application during the card production phase.

After entering the access code noted on the paper document issued with the certificate, the certificate holder receives their PIN code in the form of a PDF document that the holder will need to download. The holder will then be able to use the certificate to sign or, where appropriate, stamp documents or authenticate themselves.

How to activate the certificate?

• Open the email with the subject line "Activating your certificate", which you will receive after you have registered
• Click on the URL in the body of the email
• Enter the access code (noted on the paper document you were given at your appointment) on the page which is displayed
• A page showing a link (URL) to a downloadable PDF containing your PIN code is displayed

If you have any problems activating your certificate, please contact the Business Development Agency by email to the following address: esign@gouv.mc

In the case of a server stamp, activation is not required since access to the certificate is not protected by a PIN code.

What do you need?

• Your smart card on which your electronic signature certificate, authentication certificate or stamp certificate is recorded
• Your card reader (USB) 
• SafeNet Client software installed on your computer (this can be downloaded here) 
• Your PDF document, open in the free program Adobe Reader

How to sign a document

• Connect the USB card reader to your PC and insert your card  
  NB: the first time the card is inserted into the reader, a security warning will be displayed, reading "Do you want to install this certificate?". Click "Yes". The certificate will then be recognised when it is inserted into the reader
• Open your document in Adobe Reader
• Click "Tools" in the top left corner of Adobe Reader
• Click "Certificates"
• Click "Digitally sign" and drag your cursor to draw the area in which you would like the signature to appear
• Once the certificate on the smart card (that is inserted into the reader) has been detected, click "Continue"
• A preview of the signature is displayed. You can customise it by clicking "Edit"
• Click "Sign"

Once you have completed all of these steps, check that your signature appears properly in the designated box.

If you have any problems activating your certificate, please contact the Business Development Agency by email to the following address: esign@gouv.mc   

Video Tutorial

All valid electronic signature, authentication and stamp certificates can be cancelled at any time via two procedures:

• Directly online using the following link www.certinomis.com  "My customer area" and the "Cancel certificate" button. Access is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The applicant’s cancellation code will be requested as part of this procedure. This code was sent to the applicant by email when the certificate was issued
• By telephoning the Business Development Agency if the cancellation code has been lost. In this case, the Operator will authenticate the applicant based on the answers to the questions chosen when submitting the registration form. Only the beneficiary or an authorised representative can cancel a certificate by telephone. If at least one of the answers given does not match the information on the form, the applicant will need to see the Operator in person to complete the operation by presenting valid proof of identity