🏛️ Company formation

Electronic Signature in Romania: What Founders Need

If you run a Romanian company from abroad, an electronic signature in Romania (semnătură electronică) is often the practical key to signing and submitting documents online — to the tax authority, the trade registry and your counterparties. Here’s what non-resident founders need to know.

What is a qualified electronic signature?

A qualified electronic signature (QES) is the highest level of e-signature recognised under the EU’s eIDAS framework, which Romania follows. The key point: a qualified e-signature is legally equivalent to a handwritten signature.

It is created using a certificate issued after your identity has been verified, and it lets you sign documents remotely with full legal effect — without printing, scanning or posting anything. eIDAS also recognises simpler tiers (a basic electronic signature and an advanced one), but for most official online procedures in Romania it is the qualified level that institutions expect.

Where it’s used

A qualified signature is used across Romania’s digital administration and business life:

• Filing with ANAF through the SPV (Spațiul Privat Virtual), Romania’s online tax portal.
• e-Factura, the mandatory B2B electronic invoicing system run by ANAF.
• Online filings with public institutions, including the trade registry.
• Contracts and declarations signed remotely with legal validity.

Who needs one?

In principle, the person acting for the company — typically the administrator or the accountant — needs a qualified signature to submit documents in their own name.

For a non-resident founder, the day-to-day picture is usually different: in practice your accountant or an authorised representative often handles SPV submissions and e-Factura on your behalf. Depending on the setup, a qualified signature may still be needed in your name for certain steps.

Caution: this reflects the position in 2026. The rules, providers and exact requirements change — confirm the current setup and what’s needed in your name before relying on this article.

How you get one

A qualified electronic signature is issued by an accredited (qualified) trust service provider. The core requirement is identity verification before the certificate is issued; the provider then issues the qualified certificate you use to sign.

Because verification methods and the precise procedure can vary between providers, it’s best to confirm the current process — and whether you need a signature at all — with your accountant before committing to anything. The certificate also has a validity period, so it needs to be renewed in time to avoid interrupting your filings.

Get set up the right way

For most non-residents, the simplest path is to let your team in Romania manage the SPV connection, e-Factura and filings, and to arrange a qualified signature only where it’s genuinely required. Our partner accountants handle compliance after forming your SRL — including e-Factura and SAF-T — and advise on the right signature setup.

Ready to begin? Learn how to open a company as a non-resident, and we’ll get your company, filings and signatures sorted in English from day one.