Bank iD: No more overwriting and endless confirmations
“Do you have your ID on you?”
“Can you send me this officially?”
“But you have to sign this in person…”
Sound familiar? These are exactly the kind of sentences we often don’t need to hear at all these days. In the Czech Republic we have something that has changed the lives of many companies and authorities: the Bank iD. And because we at SmartFP are trying to simplify or eliminate unnecessary paperwork, this is exactly the tool we love – and so do our clients.
What is Bank iD?
Simply put: Bank iD is the digital identity you already have – in your bank. You don’t have to set up anything, install anything, pay anything. All you need to do is have internet banking and know how to log in. “Unlike other methods of digital identity, Bank iD is available to virtually anyone and has full legal force. It is a legally recognised means of identification,” says Veronika Wojewodová, Partnership Manager at Bankovní identita a.s., who has been part of the team since 2020, focusing not only on partner integrations but also on customer journeys and user experience. So, when you want to sign a contract or send an application, all it takes is a few clicks – and everything is done online, securely and, most importantly, quickly.
What does the signing look like?
“Signing a document via Bank iD is easy. The system first verifies that it’s really you – and then creates a one-time signature certificate that is inserted directly into the document. Finally, we stamp the document with our qualified seal,” explains Veronika Wojewodová. The result? You have a document in your hand that carries full legal weight without having to print or scan it.
“When we were looking for a way to speed up document signing, Bank iD made sense,” says Jozef Cerovský – Partner Channel Manager for SmartFP, adding: “Our clients often deal with situations where they need an employee or business partner to sign something – ideally right away and remotely. We have integrated Bank iD into our system so that the signature takes place in seconds. The client doesn’t install anything, the user doesn’t solve anything. They simply log in as if they were a bank.” At SmartFP today, we routinely sign orders and contracts via Bank iD. We’re also testing it in recruitment – our first new colleagues have already verified this way. And if a client doesn’t want to use Bank iD? The system can handle it any other way – but hand on heart, why complicate your life.
Is Bank iD really safe?
The answer is: yes. Just logging in through your banking account is extremely secure – banks invest huge resources in protecting their customers. “Using Bank iD is significantly more secure than, say, sending ID scans. Those are easy to fake, but to fake Bank iD? You really can’t,” says Veronika Wojewodová.
What about the legal force of the signature?
“Bank iD SIGN is a so-called guaranteed electronic signature. This means that it fulfils the requirement for a written form of negotiation – even in court,” says Veronika Wojewodová. While you have to prove a simple electronic signature in a complicated way, with a Bank iD signature no one doubts that the document was signed by that particular person. With Bank iD you can sign all documents within B2B and B2C processes as well as the vast majority of HR documents.
How much does it cost?
The digitisation of company processes also makes sense economically. By connecting Bank iD with SmartFP, you can start signing documents electronically without the need for complex integration and without waiting. The Bank iD SIGN service, which we have integrated in SmartFP, enables legally valid signing of documents and is charged according to a simple price list: 5 CZK for each signature from 0.49 CZK for user identity verification “In practice, this means that signing an order or an internal agreement costs less than the price of postage,” comments Jozef from SmartFP.
“And unlike the paper route, you have an immediate result, an overview in the system and legal certainty.” SmartFP customers don’t need to develop or license anything – the signature via Bank iD is included in the system and ready to use. Just activate the module and start signing.
Want to try it? If you are already using SmartFP and want to activate your signature via Bank iD, get in touch with us.
If you don’t know SmartFP yet, see what it can do – and how easily it can help you simplify digital processes in business or HR. And most importantly: no more scanning ID cards.
Partnership Manager Bank iD