Is there a limit to the number of signatures on a Certum Mini or SimplySign card?
On the hotline podpisano.pl we often hear the question:
"Does my e-signature card have any signature limit?
What if I sign hundreds of documents a month - will the signature stop working at some point?"
Reassurance: there is no limit to the number of qualified signatures, neither in the Certum Mini solution nor in the SimplySign mobile solution .
How does a qualified signature work?
A qualified signature (QES) is based on a cryptographic key pair and a qualified certificate. It is the certificate that is issued for a specific period of time - usually for 1 year, 2 years or 3 years.
Thus, the validity of the signature does not depend on how many times you use it, but on whether the certificate is still valid and whether the credentials(PIN, PUK, token) work correctly.
Certum Mini - crypto card without signature limit
Certum Mini is a cryptographic card with a USB reader.
- There is no limit to the number of signatures - you can sign one document a month or a thousand a day as long as you have a valid certificate.
- The only technical limitation is the time it takes to sign - each signature requires using a card and entering a PIN.
- Expiration of the certificate - only this is the "limit" of the use of a qualified signature, not the number of signatures. Therefore, consider renewing your electronic signature before it expires.
SimplySign - signature in the cloud, also unlimited
SimplySign works with a server-based cryptographic device and a mobile application.
- Also, there is no limit on the number of signatures.
- You can sign as many documents as you want in a day - the system does not introduce any blocking here.
- Authorization is done through the mobile app (PIN or biometrics + generated tokens), but the use itself does not come with quantitative restrictions.
- Similar to Certum Mini: the expiration of the certificate - is the "limit" of the use of a qualified signature, not the number of signatures. It is worth considering renewing your electronic signature before it expires.
Time stamp limit - the only practical limitation
Although the number of signatures itself is not limited, it is worth remembering another aspect: each qualified certificate has a pool of 5,000 free time stamps per month..
- If you sign documents with a time stamp (which we always recommend), in practice you can do it 5,000 times a month within a single card/certificate.
- After exceeding this limit, you can still add time stamps, but this will incur additional costs according to the price list of the service provider.
Why is this important?
The timestamp plays a key role in trust services:
- confirms the exact date and time of signing the document,
- secures the document from being undermined in the future,
- protects against the situation where the signature is already verified after the certificate has expired.
For this reason it is always worth attaching a time stamp to an electronic signature - is a guarantee of full evidentiary force of the document in court and in contacts with the administration.
Where do the limitations appear?
To summarize:
- You can make an infinite number of signatures, both in Certum Mini and SimplySign.
- Time stamps - you have 5,000 available per month, which in practice is completely sufficient for your daily workflow.
- It is always a good idea to sign documents with a time stamp so that you have full legal security.
- Restrictions may arise from external systems (e.g., file sizes or formats), not from the signature itself.
A qualified signature is a tool that is supposed to work flexibly and without barriers - and the timestamp makes it complete.
SimplySign and Certum Mini qualified signatures
If you have any concerns or questions, please contact us
We will answer your questions, find a date that suits you and an advisor in Gdansk, Gdynia, Krakow, Warsaw or Wroclaw.
You can also write an email from us [email protected].