Guide · Employment contract · Lease

Sign a contract with your eID, one party after the other

A contract usually has two signatures. With CEI One each party signs the same PDF in turn: the second signature is added on top of the first without invalidating it, and verification shows both.

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Official sources

CEI OneEmployment and leases

The key stays on the card

Step by step

One PDF, two signatures

01
Agree to sign electronically
Both parties have to agree. For an individual employment contract, the Romanian Labour Code (art. 16) allows an advanced or qualified electronic signature when the contract is concluded, amended, suspended or terminated. The employer cannot oblige you to sign electronically, and both parties use the same type of signature.
02
Finish the text before the first signature
Export the contract as a PDF without a password. After the first signature, do not edit the text: any change shows up when the document is verified, and a new version is signed again.
03
The first signer signs and sends the file
In CEI One, choose the page and the position of the mark, then authorize with the CAN and the signing PIN. Send the other party the signed PDF file, not a screenshot or a printout.
04
The second signer checks, then signs
Open the received PDF on the verification screen and check who signed and whether it changed. Then sign it in CEI One, with the mark in a different place from the first. The app adds your signature as a new revision and keeps the existing one.
05
Each party keeps the final copy
The copy with both signatures is the final document. Verifying it in CEI One shows both signatures and whether the document changed after the last one.

Good to know

Before you sign

When a second signature is not added

CEI One does not sign over a signature that fails verification, or a PDF its author certified as not to be changed. It does not sign password-protected files either.

Lease agreements

According to MAI, a document signed with the advanced signature on the eID has the same legal effect as one signed by hand, except for authentic acts. A deed that must be made before a notary is not replaced by a signed PDF.

The employer's side

The same article of the Labour Code also sets the signatures an employer may use for employment documents. The employer checks those conditions for its side.

The mark is not the signature

The visible mark, with your name or the handwritten signature from the card, helps readers. What counts is the electronic signature in the file, which anyone who receives the PDF can verify.

Straight answers

Frequently asked questions

01Can we both sign the contract with CEI One?

Yes. Each of you signs the same PDF in turn with your own eID. The second signature is added without invalidating the first.

02Can I sign a contract already signed with another app?

Yes, if the existing signatures pass verification and the document does not forbid changes. Otherwise the app tells you why it cannot sign.

03Can an employment contract be signed with the eID signature?

The Labour Code (art. 16) lets the parties use an advanced or qualified electronic signature for an individual employment contract, and the free certificate on the eID is, according to MAI, for an advanced signature. The employer cannot oblige you to sign electronically.

04What if someone edits the PDF after signing?

Verification shows that the document changed after the signature. For a new version, sign the new file again.

05Can I choose where the signature appears?

Yes. Choose the page and drag the mark where you want it. The size of the mark is fixed.

Sources

Official sources

Portal requirements are as published on the pages below (in Romanian), checked on 18 October 2026. They can change: read the service's page before you send a document. This guide is not legal advice.