The Digital Signature solution requires entering the national identity number of those signing a document. This is a security measure to ensure the correct person signs and to prevent document misplacement.
From July 2024, you can turn off the requirement for national identity numbers and instead register the signer with their email address and mobile number. This is convenient, but be aware that there are cases where using a national identity number is still recommended.
Note that the signer will still need to sign using ID-porten and BankID, where they must provide their national identity number. The signed document will contain the signer’s name, automatically retrieved from the National Registry.
When should you use a national identity number and when not?
Use of national identity numbers should be employed only when there is a legitimate need for secure identification. If identification by email address and mobile number suffices, you should not use a national identity number.
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer on what types of documents require using national identity numbers. Therefore, you should conduct your own risk assessment:
- Is the document to be signed sensitive or confidential? Use a national identity number.
- Would large consequences arise if the wrong person gained access to the document? Use a national identity number.
- Is it sufficient identification that the person's name appears in the document? Use email and mobile number. Generally, you should avoid using national identity numbers if possible.
For example, you should not use a national identity number if you need a public agreement signed by high-ranking representatives from other institutions, unless the document is confidential.
How can you turn off the use of national identity numbers for identification? When you are on the page to upload a document for signing, go to "Advanced settings." There, you will find an option for how you wish to address the signers.
How can you turn off the use of national identity numbers for identification?
When you are on the page to upload a document for signing, go to Avanserte innstillinger / Advanced settings. There, you will find an option for how you wish to address the signers.
When you now scroll up to the fields for entering the signers, you will see that the field for birth number has been replaced with fields for email address and mobile number:
