Electronic signature with the CEI
Sign a PDF with your Romanian ID card, right from your phone
The Romanian electronic ID card (CEI) carries an electronic signature certificate on its chip, issued free by the state. TapSign uses it on iPhone or Android over NFC, or on a computer with a card reader. No token, no subscription and no account, and the document never leaves your device.
What you need
An activated electronic ID card
The card with a chip, not the old paper ID. When you collected it you chose two PINs: four digits to log in and six digits to sign. Signing needs the six-digit one.
The CAN on the card
Six digits printed on the front of the card, bottom right. The phone needs them to open the chip. TapSign remembers them, so you type them once.
A phone with NFC, or a reader
Any recent iPhone or an Android phone with NFC. On a Mac, Windows or Linux computer, use a contact card reader, because those have no compatible NFC.
The TapSign app
Free from the App Store, Google Play, the Microsoft Store or our Linux packages. No account.
How to sign, step by step
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1
Open the PDF in TapSign
From the app, or from the Share button of any other app: mail, WhatsApp, Files.
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2
Place the signature on the page
Drag the stamp where it should appear, usually next to your name.
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3
Enter the six-digit signing PIN
Not the four-digit one, which is only for logging in to websites.
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4
Hold the card against the phone
On iPhone, against the top of the phone; on Android, usually the middle of the back. Keep it still until the app says it is done. It takes a few seconds.
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5
Send the signed document
The signed copy is saved beside the original. Send it on, or check it right away in TapSign.
What the signature is worth
The certificate the state writes to the card is for an advanced electronic signature. Romanian law gives it the same effect as a handwritten signature, so you can use it for contracts, declarations, applications and letters. It is not a qualified signature, and the state portals that require one (ANAF, ONRC, SEAP) do not accept it. For those you still need a qualified certificate, usually on a USB token. TapSign also works with certSIGN, DigiSign and Trans Sped tokens.
If you open the document in Adobe Acrobat, a yellow bar says at least one signature has problems. That only means Acrobat does not recognise the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs as an issuer, not that the file is damaged. TapSign and our verify page confirm the identity up to the authority that issues the ID cards.
Questions
Does signing with the ID card cost anything?
No. The certificate on the CEI is free and TapSign is free. There is no subscription and no charge per document.
Does it work with the old ID card?
No. Only the electronic ID card has a chip and a signature certificate. The old ID card and the plain ID card cannot sign electronically.
Which phones work?
Recent iPhones and Android phones with NFC. If your phone pays contactless, it almost certainly has NFC.
Can I sign on a computer?
Yes, on a Mac, Windows or Linux, with a contact card reader (any CCID reader). The steps are the same: the CAN once, then the signing PIN.
I forgot or blocked the PIN. What now?
The card has no PUK. Any population records office resets it for free, and you choose new PINs there.
Is the document uploaded anywhere?
No. Signing happens on the phone or computer and the private key never leaves the chip. We have no way to see your documents.
Can I sign a document someone else already signed?
Yes. Earlier signatures stay intact, and each one can be checked on its own.
Need a qualified signature?
For ANAF, ONRC or SEAP, our guides show how to sign with a qualified USB token on a phone or computer.
Read the guides