Improving Zoho Sign to navigate regional regulatory landscapes

Improving Zoho Sign to navigate regional regulatory landscapes

Hello everybody,

In our recent announcements, we said that the adoption of e-signatures is at an all-time high. This is primarily due to the acceleration in digital transformation across businesses due to the global COVID pandemic. But as its popularity continues to surge, e-signatures are also being subjected to increasing legal scrutiny by regulatory authorities. Different countries, regions, and economic unions each have their own regulatory landscape for businesses, and as a result, what constitutes an accepted e-signature also accordingly varies. Therefore, Zoho Sign, as an e-signature app, must also keep up with such regulations to improve and ensure a higher degree of compliance across different regions and domains of application.

Today, we would like to kick that off by announcing five exciting recent additions to Zoho Sign that can help our users navigate regional regulatory landscapes better.

What's new?
  • Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) for EU
  • eSign for India as defined by the CCA
  • Signing with USB-token for DSCs
  • Trusted document timestamping
  • Print, physically sign, and upload

Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) for EU

As per the electronic IDentification, Authentication and trust Services (eIDAS) regulations in the EU, Qualified Electronic Signatures are the legal equivalent to wet signatures or signing documents with pen and paper. The QES is created at the time of signing documents using a Qualified Digital Certificate issued to the signer by a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP). A signer has to submit identification documents and undergo face-to-face verification by the QTSP before being issued with this Qualified Digital Certificate and, therefore, this ensures a higher degree of authenticity. Learn more

Zoho Sign offers QES by partnering with Uanataca, one of the authorized QTSPs as per the eIDAS regulation 910/2014 in the European Union, and integrating with their services. This is now readily available for all Enterprise plan users based in our EU datacenter and users can configure it by navigating to Settings > Integrations. Since this service is entirely cloud-based, there's no need for a physical Qualified Signature Creation Device (QCSD). Learn more



Soon, we will unveil more such integrated services via partnerships with other QTSPs in the region.

eSign for India as defined by the CCA

Zoho Sign has partnered with eMudhra, a leading certifying authority (CA) in India, to let signers digitally sign documents using their integrated e-KYC services. This is offered in conformity with the e-sign service specifications defined by the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), India's root CA, in accordance with the Information Technology Act of 2000. When availing this, a signer has to register with eMudhra by submitting identification documents and will have to log into their service at the time of signing. Upon authentication, they can use eMudhra's e-KYC service to e-sign the documents, thus ensuring multiple levels of authorization and a higher degree of authenticity.

This is now readily available for all Enterprise plan users based in our India datacenter and users can configure it by navigating to Settings > Integrations. Learn more


Signing with USB-token for DSCs

Across the globe, it is now a very prevalent practice for business signatories and important individuals to acquire personal digital signature certificates for signing digital documents. However, even in such a scenario, the signer might need an e-sign app to use their digital signature certificate for signing and Zoho Sign can now help with that.

Yes, users can now sign documents with self-acquired digital signature certificates in Zoho Sign. To do this, however, users would need to download the Zoho Sign USB Signer app for Windows from the Microsoft Store. Once installed, they can log in to their Zoho account and proceed to sign the documents that need their signature. The app will automatically detect any USB-token for DSCs inserted into their device ports and also any other digital signature certificates stored securely on their device. The signer would then have to simply choose the certificate from the list displayed to sign their documents with. Learn more



Trusted document timestamping

Zoho Sign is partnering with multiple timestamping authorities (TSA), to integrate with their trusted timestamping services and introduce document timestamping for digitally signed documents. This is known specifically as Long Term Archival (LTA) as defined by the ETSI TS 103 172 specifications for PAdES services (which is what Zoho Sign offers). This essentially adds an immutable third-party timestamp to digitally signed documents to make it indisputable, prove its existence at the time and date of signing even if the digital signature certificate itself expires in the future, and reinforces non-repudiation.

Zoho has partnered with the following TSAs to introduce this service:
  • Uanataca - for qualified timestamps in EU
  • SEIKO - for Japan
  • GlobalSign - for all other regions and countries across the globe
This is now readily available for all Enterprise plan users and users can enable it by navigating to Settings > Account settings > Document timestamp and choosing their preferred TSA.



Users can now send documents to signers, and the signers can, if necessary, download and print a copy to sign it physically, and then scan and re-upload it back onto Zoho Sign to continue with the e-sign workflow. This helps the signers maintain a physically signed copy of the document for their reference while still being able to do business with the sender via e-signatures. Once a signer uploads a physically signed copy of the document onto their Zoho Sign request, the sender can then check the scanned copy for their signature/seal and validate the submission before proceeding to mark the e-sign request as completed or the e-sign workflow as in-progress for the next signer.

In heavily regulated industries and also some countries, the presence and maintenance of a physically signed copy of documents is still mandated due to reasons of conventional or cultural significance. This enhancement allows for that practice to continue while still integrating it online with Zoho Sign's e-signature services.



Do note that some of these features incur additional cost due to the services being facilitated by integrated third-party providers. Users will be required to purchase Zoho Sign credits as add-ons to cover these costs.

Feel free to explore these additions and let us know your feedback on how we can keep improving. Do watch this space for more such release announcements in the future!

If you need further details or any other assistance, feel free to comment below or write to support@zohosign.com.

Happy Zoho Signing!

Cheers.
Sai Anand

    Access your files securely from anywhere


            Zoho Developer Community




                                      Zoho Desk Resources

                                      • Desk Community Learning Series


                                      • Digest


                                      • Functions


                                      • Meetups


                                      • Kbase


                                      • Resources


                                      • Glossary


                                      • Desk Marketplace


                                      • MVP Corner


                                      • Word of the Day



                                          Zoho Marketing Automation


                                                  Manage your brands on social media



                                                        Zoho TeamInbox Resources

                                                          Zoho DataPrep Resources



                                                            Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                              Zoho Books Resources


                                                                Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                                                                  Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                    Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                      Qntrl Resources


                                                                        Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                            Zoho CRM Resources

                                                                            • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                              CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                            • Kaizen

                                                                              Kaizen

                                                                            • Functions

                                                                              Functions

                                                                            • Meetups

                                                                              Meetups

                                                                            • Kbase

                                                                              Kbase

                                                                            • Resources

                                                                              Resources

                                                                            • Digest

                                                                              Digest

                                                                            • CRM Marketplace

                                                                              CRM Marketplace

                                                                            • MVP Corner

                                                                              MVP Corner





                                                                                Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                Get Started Now


                                                                                  Zoho Show Resources


                                                                                    Zoho Writer Writer

                                                                                    Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                    Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                      Zoho CRM コンテンツ






                                                                                        Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                            ご検討中の方





                                                                                                  • Recent Topics

                                                                                                  • Query About Updating Records in Batches via API

                                                                                                    We are working on integrating the Creator application with an external app, and we need to update thousands of records daily. I understand that the "Update Records" API is available; however, it appears to be designed for updating multiple records with
                                                                                                  • PDF API FROM ZOHO CREATOR DELUGE SCRIPT

                                                                                                    Hi I am in need of using a PDF Api to compress and Merge PDF files from zoho creator. Any support on this would be really helpfull any sample code for any PDF API would be extremely heplfull
                                                                                                  • Filter report using dynamic filter using function not working

                                                                                                    Hi - I am trying to dynamically filter a report as follows: when I save the filter it looks like this: However when I run the report it is not returning results as I expect. I have tested the function. If I copy and paste the output of the function and
                                                                                                  • How to add coloring on List Reports

                                                                                                    Hi guys, I would like to add colors to List reports. Is there an option to apply table colors other than using the custom layout? Thank You!
                                                                                                  • Formula fields - Request for dynamic recalculation / proper implementation

                                                                                                    Hi Guys, I have a big problem with Zoho formula fields. They don't recalculate each time the record is viewed - only when a record is edited. Formula fields should be updated dynamically each time a record is retrieved. As an example: I have a formula
                                                                                                  • 🔍 How to effectively organize data in a CRM? – My approach and questions for you

                                                                                                    Dear ZOHOssians! While working on organizing data in a CRM, I decided to use the native modules: Leads, Deals, Contacts, and Accounts as a solid foundation for managing processes. However, I’m now exploring the next steps and considering various options
                                                                                                  • Editing data in Related List tables

                                                                                                    Hi, we have a related list table showing many quotes on our Client record. At present, we have to edit each quote record by entering each record and then going back to the Client record. Is there a way to edit the various fields shown in the related list
                                                                                                  • Directly Edit, Filter, and Sort Subforms on the Details Page

                                                                                                    Hello everyone, As you know, subforms allow you to associate multiple line items with a single record, greatly enhancing your data organization. For example, a sales order subform neatly lists all products, their quantities, amounts, and other relevant
                                                                                                  • Is there a API to fetch tasks in a Board/Section

                                                                                                    I am writing a scheduled function that retrieves all the tasks and send an reminder on cliq. I cannot seem to find a API to fetch tasks (by user / board / section) What are the way to fetch tasks?
                                                                                                  • Zoho Books - uploading company logo squashed

                                                                                                    I am trying to upload my company logo with the following dimensions - 240 x 240 pixels and a file size of 106Kb. When I look at the logo in my invoices, it is squashed and not the right size. Any idea what is going on? I've tried uploading jpeg and png
                                                                                                  • Streamline Custom Dashboards

                                                                                                    I'd like every brand have the same dashboard. Is there a way to streamline them so every brand has one? Or that I can use the same dashboard from another brand?
                                                                                                  • How to Create and Edit Advances in Zoho Expense Using Deluge?

                                                                                                    Hi everyone, I am working with Zoho Expense and need to manage Advances (Advance Payments) using Deluge. I’ve familiarized myself with some basic functions, but I have specific questions about how to create and edit advance records: Creating Advances:
                                                                                                  • Integrate MS Teams with Zoho CRM for faster collaboration

                                                                                                    Availability Editions: Standard and above DCs: All Release status: This feature has been released for all users in all DCs. Help resource: Microsoft Teams integration Hello everyone, We're adding MS Teams to our lineup of CRM chat integrations—Cliq, Slack,
                                                                                                  • Easy way to delete attachments

                                                                                                    I've reached my data limit and would like to run a view/report, and mass delete attachments. Is there an easy, fast way to do this? Moderation Update: Post Summary: There are two features the post discusses a) Easy way to remove Email attachments Will
                                                                                                  • Ho to restrict access to row level to Zoho Analytics users

                                                                                                    Let me explain the scenario we are trying to achieve. We have an online system our team members work with. On it we have 6 users that manage data from different areas (North, South, East and West). We would like to transfer this information to a Zoho
                                                                                                  • Remove the link between app admin roles and org admin privileges

                                                                                                    Greetings Zoho One Team, Currently, assigning someone as an admin in certain Zoho apps, such as Cliq, Connect, Mail, Vault, or Forms (and maybe other apps as well) automatically grants them org admin privileges, even though they are not listed as org
                                                                                                  • Standalone function is not working

                                                                                                    Hi, We have created a standalone function to integrate with a third-party service using OAuth. However, the standalone function's REST API key is expiring automatically after some time. When we regenerate the API key from the admin account, the function
                                                                                                  • All Deluge environments draggy! Negatively impacting productivity

                                                                                                    Hello, I have been using Zoho flow, CRM, Project, etc to develop custom functions, integrations. etc. for over 5 years. However, just about 3 days ago, I observed the deluge integrated environment is now acting draggy across all Zoho products using Chrome
                                                                                                  • Pass json to ZDK.Client.openMailer TO parameter

                                                                                                    Hello I try to make send emails to a list of emails with : ZDK.Client.openMailer({ from: 'example@zoho.com', to: details_output, subject: 'test Mailing List', body: 'Test Mailing List Body' }); where details_output is an array like : [{ "email": "testcarte18078@test.com",
                                                                                                  • How to remove banners at the top of email web page

                                                                                                    Every day, I find valuable screen real estate being consumed by Zoho advertising themselves at the top of my email web page. I can dismiss that "announcement", but something else will come back the very next day. How do I permanently dismiss them as 99%
                                                                                                  • My domain provider does not support to DKIM records

                                                                                                    My domain provider does not support to DKIM records in zoho mail. It does not allowed underscore in a TXT name but zoho had provide DKIM records already with an underscore This is the zoho provides But my domain provider does not allowed
                                                                                                  • Zoho email experiencing delay when receiving emails from AWS SES

                                                                                                    When sending an email from our SES, our non-Zoho email is receiving emails almost instantly with a 1-2 min delay, however, the zoho email we send to is experiencing delays from 3-4 hours and sometimes dont recieve them at all. Any idea what might be going
                                                                                                  • How to listen to ticket change

                                                                                                    Hello community, I created a widget, which checks all departments, if the user has written there as well, as some customer do this. Overall it works fine, except that I have to refresh the widget tab every time I go to another ticket. How can I listen
                                                                                                  • Did you know you can secure your content with Zoho Writer?

                                                                                                    Sometimes you need to protect certain parts of your content to conceal sensitive information or prevent changes to important sections of a document. Zoho Writer offers several tools for securing content to help maintain privacy, security, and confidentiality
                                                                                                  • Webhook when estimate is refused is not firing

                                                                                                    Hello, I use a workflow through make that sends estimate with zoho books (I paid books and sign). -Those estimates when accepted are firing the webhook that I create in zoho sign (photo 1) -However when refused they are not firing the webhook that I created
                                                                                                  • How do I delete a test email address to which I am supposed to send a test email?

                                                                                                    How do I delete an email address added to a test email recipient that is no longer needed due to resignation or other reasons?
                                                                                                  • Create custom rollup summary fields in Zoho CRM

                                                                                                    Hello everyone, In Zoho CRM, rollup summary fields have been essential tools for summarizing data across related records and enabling users to gain quick insights without having to jump across modules. Previously, only predefined summary functions were
                                                                                                  • Creating smart filters manually

                                                                                                    Hi Team, One of my colleagues accidentally deleted the Notification folder in Zoho Mail. Now all the emails are directing to spam instead of inbox. Is there any way to create the smart filter manually?. With Regards, Logeswar V
                                                                                                  • Is there a way to get Guided Conversation responses to appear on a ticket?

                                                                                                    Hello When using the Create Ticket block, is there a way to save all of the responses the user has inputted on the ticket once it's been made?
                                                                                                  • Tickets Assigning Automation

                                                                                                    I am trying to build a bot which can automatically assign the tickets to the concerning team as of now we have a dedicated person who read the emails, understands the query and then assign it to the dedicated team. I have built an prototype of the same
                                                                                                  • Zoho Desk using APIs

                                                                                                    We have generated the necessary tokens and successfully executed the following calls: • List all tickets • Get a ticket • Create a ticket We have encountered difficulties when attempting to perform searches using the APIs related to SEARCH, as it returns
                                                                                                  • Knowledge Base - Import PDF/Doc

                                                                                                    Our company already has guides and manuals in PDF/word format. Is there a way to directly important these as articles for our customer portal? When doing a copy/paste the formatting gets a little skewed and images don't post over either. 
                                                                                                  • Paid Support Plans with Automated Billing

                                                                                                    We (like many others, I'm sure) are designing or have paid support plans. Our design involves a given number of support hours in each plan. Here are my questions: 1) Are there any plans to add time-based plans in the Zoho Desk Support Plans feature? The
                                                                                                  • Credit Card Terminal for Zoho Books

                                                                                                    Hello, Instead of punching the credit card number manually for customer payment, do you have a third-party hardware credit card reader that works with Braintree? Thank You
                                                                                                  • Checklist/ save to onedrive/ a group of items invoicing in Zoho FSM

                                                                                                    hi, is there a way to add a specific checklist to any WO without passing eachtime by the model customization? can we save file such picture directly in our sharepoint ak onedrive? is there any way to add a group of item pre defined to make invoicing easier
                                                                                                  • Splitting a List into different rows

                                                                                                    I am getting a List from a for each loop. But I can't figure out how to separate each item that is separated by a comma. Example Zone 1 - Front Door,Zone 2 - Rear Door,Zone 3 - Side Door I need it too look like this: Zone 1 - Front Door Zone 2 - Rear
                                                                                                  • This domain is not allowed to add. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

                                                                                                    I am trying to setup the free version of Zoho Mail. When I tried to add my domain, theselfreunion.com I got the error message that is the subject of this Topic. I've read your other community forum topics, and this is NOT a free domain. So what is the
                                                                                                  • Zoho Analytics - CRM Sync Failure

                                                                                                    We have experienced consistent sync failures between our Zoho CRM and Analytics apps, but there aren't any details provided as to why this failure might be occuring. Please advise on troubleshooting steps so we can figure out how to restore the sync.
                                                                                                  • Setup Leave Policy which increases based on years of service

                                                                                                    Please confirm if this is correct. Effective after 0 days of employment, Opening Balance is 6 days. Valid only for the first year of employment and Accrual and Reset are disabled. Effective after 1 year of employment, Opening Balance is 10 days. Valid
                                                                                                  • Zoho Books Price list associated to a cusomer

                                                                                                    how we can associate a price list to a costumer? pls don't send me to your FAQ section (Associating Price List to a Customer:: Knowledge Base | Zoho Inventory) nothing it's explained and there no place where we add price list to a customer
                                                                                                  • Next Page