In short: Signing with the German eID uses the online ID function (Online-Ausweisfunktion) of the Personalausweis to prove your identity to a qualified trust service provider. The provider then issues a qualified certificate and enables remote signing, so you can create a qualified electronic signature (QES) online. It is the German-market counterpart to signing with ID Austria.
Germany's national identity card, the Personalausweis, contains a chip with an online ID function (Online-Ausweisfunction, or eID) that has been notified under Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS) at the high level of assurance. That strong, government-issued identity is exactly what a qualified electronic signature needs at the point of enrolment. Signing with the German eID means using this identity function to identify yourself remotely, so a qualified trust service provider can issue a qualified certificate and let you sign at QES level online, no branch visit and no physical signature card.
What the German eID (Personalausweis) is
The online ID function turns the Personalausweis into a secure digital identity. Using an NFC-enabled smartphone or a card reader and the official eID app, together with your six-digit PIN, you can prove who you are to online services with a high level of assurance. Because the German eID scheme is notified under eIDAS, that identification is recognised across the EU. This assurance is the foundation for issuing a qualified certificate to the right person, which is why signing with the German eID begins with a secure identification step rather than with the document itself. No separate signature card is needed; the identity card you already carry does the work.
Signing with the German eID: step by step
A typical online flow for a qualified signature using the eID looks like this:
- Start in a web-based signing service and choose the qualified (QES) signature level.
- Select identification via the German eID and open the official eID app on your smartphone.
- Hold the Personalausweis to the phone's NFC reader and enter your PIN to release your identity data.
- Let the qualified trust service provider verify the identification and issue or reactivate your qualified certificate.
- Review the document, confirm what you are approving, and authorise the signing operation.
- Receive the signed PDF with a PAdES qualified signature, ideally sealed with a qualified timestamp for long-term validation.
How the online ID function leads to a QES
The eID does not sign the document by itself; it establishes trusted identity. Once the qualified trust service provider has verified you at a high level of assurance, it can issue a qualified certificate and hold the corresponding signing key in a certified, tamper-resistant environment. Each signature is then created remotely under your sole control: the provider signs only when you authorise that specific operation. This separation, the eID for identity, the QTSP for the cryptographic QES, is what makes signing with the German eID both convenient and legally robust.
Use cases for signing with the German eID
Signing with the German eID suits any document that benefits from the highest legal certainty and remote convenience: bank and insurance contracts, employment agreements, official and administrative forms, and cross-border documents that must be recognised throughout the EU. It is especially valuable for fully digital onboarding, where identity proofing and the first qualified signature happen in a single online session. For German residents it delivers the same paperless, card-reader-free experience that signing with ID Austria offers in Austria. For organisations operating on both sides of the border, supporting both eID schemes means one consistent, fully digital signing process for Austrian and German signers alike.
How primesign helps
primesign is a qualified trust service provider on the EU Trusted List that supports signing with the German eID for qualified electronic signatures. Using the Personalausweis online ID function to identify you, primesign enables remote signing under sole control in the browser, producing a QES that is valid across the EU and ready for long-term validation.
Learn more: primesign Remote Signing · Sign Now · Qualified Trust Services