Inviting external parties to sign
When creating a signature request, select the “External Signature (Email)” option for external signers and enter their email address and phone number. The external party will then receive a link to the document via email. Access is confirmed via a TAN code sent by text message to the specified phone number. A TU account is not required for this.
Qualified signature with a visible image mark
The signature itself - as is the case for TU members - is a qualified electronic signature created through the trust service provider A-Trust, and the signing is authorized using ID Austria. For external individuals, only the visible signature using a graphic mark (stamp) is possible - an invisible signature hidden within the document is not available to external individuals. The graphic mark is placed at the position specified in the request within the document.
An ID Austria or a compatible eID from another EU country is required. If a person does not meet this requirement, they have the option to cancel the request.
Process
After opening the link, the external user reviews and signs the document (or, if there are multiple documents, all included documents), or cancels the signing process. In both cases - completion or cancellation - the result is automatically reported back to the corresponding workflow in SAP Services. Manual feedback is not required.
Reminders and automatic aancellation after 14 days
As long as the signature is pending, the external party is automatically reminded of the outstanding signature via regular email. If no signature is received within 14 days, the request is automatically canceled and reported back accordingly in the SAP Services workflow.
Further developments
In recent weeks, the display of placement stamps in the signature workflow has also been improved, and the option to send signed documents to any email address has been made available in production.
Accessibility: The section on signatures by external parties is still being worked on and will meet key accessibility requirements in a few days.
Contact for inquiries: SAP Support