Bundesdruckerei Pushes Ahead with Online Signing Using te New German ID Card

Nov. 20, 2012 marked the launch of the pilot phase of sign-me – the first-ever app to enable online signing using the new German ID card. Interested Internet users can now load a signature certificate onto their ID cards and provide feedback on how user-friendly the app is. The entire online signature process will then be introduced early in 2013.

sign-me is the key to online signatures with the new German ID card, which all citizens will have in just a few years from now. During the pilot phase, sign-me has been integrated into the online shop of Reiner SCT, a manufacturer of reading devices. Internet users can purchase signature certificates there at an introductory price of 10 euro and, using sign-me, load these onto their ID cards.

The app bundles all the steps needed to sign online – from loading the certificate right through to the online signature itself.

“sign-me benefits both service providers and customers. The app meets with the highest security standards and can be easily integrated into existing online services,” said Ulrich Hamann, CEO of Bundesdruckerei GmbH in Berlin, during the launch of the start phase. “With this future product, Bundesdruckerei is helping to ensure that digital signatures with the new German ID card become established on the market.”

Up to now, Bundesdruckerei is the only supplier to cover the entire value chain of online signing. During the introduction of sign-me, the company will be supported by Reiner SCT, a specialist in smart card readers.

“We are pleased to be able to accompany Bundesdruckerei in this process and to make our online shop available. We are glad that we can help to establish sign-me on the market because this app goes a long way towards reducing the time and effort involved in legally binding transactions,” said Andreas Staiger, CEO of Reiner SCT.

Interested users will have the opportunity to evaluate sign-me for themselves before the product is launched next year. Bundesdruckerei has developed a questionnaire for this purpose ,which the user can fill in after loading the certificate. The company will then include ideas and suggestions in the further development of the product. The first sign-me app will be presented at CeBit 2013 in Hanover.

By then, all the technical preconditions for the online signature with sign-me will be in place, and public agencies and private companies will be able to integrate the app into their Internet portals. Service providers will also have the opportunity to offer their customers free signature certificates for certain transactions. This unique new service will give them an edge over competitors. Visit the Reiner SCT online shop