Where you need a qualified electronic signature in Romania
9 public portals and programs that require a qualified certificate, with the legal basis, what exactly is signed and how it works with the Simplifi certificate. 8 of the flows have been walked through and verified by Simplifi, with the verification date in the table.
The Simplifi qualified certificate lives in the cloud, and Simplifi Sign (Windows, macOS) exposes it as a virtual token, so it also works wherever a token is required: SPV ANAF, REGES, SEAP/SICAP, AFIR, Adobe Reader. The certificate and signing (in the browser or locally) are free; certificate authentication in portals is available on paid plans, from Personal (€1/month).
Two kinds of portals, two flows
Class A: you sign PDFs and upload them
Sign in the browser at app.simplifi.ro, no token. Works on the free plan.
Class B: certificate authentication or local signing
You need Simplifi Sign (virtual token, Windows and macOS). Local signing in Adobe Reader is free; certificate authentication in portals is available on paid plans, from Personal (€1/month).
Compatibility matrix
Portals where you upload signed PDFs work on the Simplifi free plan (qualified certificate + 5 signatures per year, plus Simplifi Sign for smart PDFs). Those requiring certificate authentication need Simplifi Sign and a paid plan, from Personal (€1/month). "Verified on" is the date Simplifi walked through the full flow.
| Portal / program | Category | How it is used | Simplifi Sign | Simplifi plan | Specifics | Verified on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MySMIS2021 | Funding and grants | Signed PDF | Not needed | Free | — | 17 Oct 2026 |
| Start-Up Nation | Funding and grants | Signed PDF | Not needed | Free | Eligible expense | 17 Oct 2026 |
| PNRR (proiecte.pnrr.gov.ro) | Funding and grants | Signed PDF | Required | Free | Smart PDF | 17 Oct 2026 |
| ONRC (Trade Register) | Registries and authorities | Signed PDF | Not needed | Free | — | 17 Oct 2026 |
| REGES Online (Labour Inspection) | Registries and authorities | Certificate authentication | Required | Paid (from Personal) | — | 17 Oct 2026 |
| SPV ANAF and e-Factura | Tax | Certificate authentication | Required | Paid (from Personal) | Smart PDF | 17 Oct 2026 |
| SICAP / SEAP | Public procurement | Signed PDF | Not needed | Free | .p7s possible | 17 Oct 2026 |
| Courts and CNSC (electronic case file) | Courts | Signed PDF | Not needed | Free | — | 17 Oct 2026 |
| AFM (Environmental Fund) | Environment | Certificate authentication | Required | Paid (from Personal) | — | under verification |
Funding and grants
MySMIS2021
Yes, you need a qualified electronic signature. The MySMIS2021 manual requires the applicant's legal representative or proxy to hold a qualified certificate and the documents attached to the funding application to be signed electronically. The signature goes on PDFs that you upload to the application, so you sign in the browser with the free Simplifi certificate, no token.
Read the guideStart-Up Nation
Yes. The Start-Up Nation procedure states that holding an electronic signature is mandatory for the applicant (MEDAT Order 328/2025, art. 6.3.1 point 16). The application, supporting documents and the de minimis grant contract are submitted on the platform as signed PDFs. All are signed in the browser with the free Simplifi certificate; the cost of a paid signature is in any case an eligible expense.
Read the guidePNRR (proiecte.pnrr.gov.ro)
Yes. On the PNRR platform you register your qualified certificate on the account, and every uploaded document must be signed with that same certificate. Ordinary documents are signed in the browser in Simplifi; if the call distributes "smart" PDF forms with a signature field, sign them locally in Adobe Reader through Simplifi Sign so the form fields survive.
Read the guideRegistries and authorities
ONRC (Trade Register)
Yes. Law 265/2022 provides that the registration application and documents filed online with the trade register are signed with a qualified electronic signature (art. 82-83). You sign the PDFs in the browser with the free Simplifi certificate and upload them to portal.onrc.ro. No token needed.
Read the guideREGES Online (Labour Inspection)
Yes. Employer access to REGES Online (the new employee register that replaced Revisal) uses a qualified certificate, for the legal representative or an authorised person. You do not upload signed PDFs; the browser authenticates with the certificate: with Simplifi Sign installed, the Simplifi certificate is offered to the browser as a virtual token. Certificate authentication is available on Simplifi's paid plans, from Personal (€1/month).
Read the guideWhere you do NOT need a qualified signature
Casa Verde Baterii 2026
The application is filed without an electronic signature; AFM accepts it unsigned.
Ghișeul.ro
Payments and requests use the Ghișeul account or the electronic ID card (CEI), which provides an advanced, not qualified, signature.
One certificate, for all of them
A free qualified certificate, issued in minutes, usable from the browser and, through Simplifi Sign, wherever a token is required.