How do I sign documents with ID Austria?

ID Austria is Austria's official electronic identity and the successor to Handy-Signatur. Holders with full functionality can create qualified electronic signatures directly, with no separate certificate order and no prior registration with the signing service.

Activation runs through a registration authority or online via FinanzOnline together with the ID Austria app. Because the state has already verified the identity at a high level of assurance, the identification effort disappears entirely for businesses.

Here's how signing with ID Austria works:

• Select the signing method: Open the document in the signing service and choose ID Austria as the signing method.
• Authenticate in the app: Authenticate through the ID Austria app using biometrics or a PIN — this satisfies the two-factor requirement.
• Approve the signing request: The specific request is displayed and confirmed individually; no standing permission exists.
• Qualified signature created: The signature is generated as a QES and is legally equivalent to a handwritten signature under Article 25(2) eIDAS.
• Timestamp and validation data: The document receives a qualified timestamp and embedded validation data for long-term verifiability.
• Return to the process: The signed PDF is returned to the originating application and filed there.

Why eID signing reduces abandonment:

• No lead time: The classic path to a QES requires identification and a certificate order before any signing can happen — precisely where users drop out.
• Economical for one-off transactions: With no identification effort, QES becomes worthwhile even for a single contract with a new customer.
• A familiar interface: Users work with an app they already know from dealings with public authorities.

primesign supports instant signing with ID Austria without prior user registration — in the online service, through the primesign SIGNATURE SERVER, and in integrated applications such as Adobe Acrobat Sign and Fabasoft. Contract partners can therefore sign at qualified level immediately, with no hardware or certificates to distribute.