Certinomis

What Certinomis does

Certinomis is a French digital trust operator (Opérateur de Confiance Numérique) providing electronic certification, digital signature, and timestamping services to enterprises, public administrations, and local authorities in France. Wholly owned by Docaposte, the digital services subsidiary of the state-owned Groupe La Poste, Certinomis operates a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certified under ETSI EN 319 411-1 and EN 319 411-2, qualified as a European eIDAS Qualified Trust Service Provider, and holds the highest RGS 2-star qualification from ANSSI. The company serves 50,000+ customers across Metropolitan France, Overseas Departments, and French Polynesia, leveraging a unique distribution footprint of 10,000+ La Poste branches for face-to-face identity verification and physical certificate delivery.

The company's product portfolio spans three core pillars: Certinomis SC, a centralized remote signature service enabling qualified eIDAS signatures from any device via L'Identité Numérique de La Poste; Certinomis Corporate, a managed PKI service for organizations outsourcing certificate lifecycle management; and a 24/7 electronic timestamping service using three correlated time sources. The certificate product line includes 13+ distinct products (Agent, Décideur, Exécutif, Téléprocédures, Dématérialisation, Serveur Cachet, etc.) across RGS 1-star, RGS 2-star, and eIDAS qualified assurance levels, with delivery options including software, smart cards (Gemalto MD 940), USB tokens, and HSMs. Integrations with Adobe Sign, French government teleservices (ACTES, SYLAé, HELIOS, Chorus), EBICS banking, and GlobalSign for SSL/TLS extend the platform's utility.

Certinomis operates a hybrid revenue model: one-time per-certificate license sales (€50-€1,050+ depending on type, validity, and delivery format) for traditional digital certificates, combined with recurring subscription revenue from the Certinomis SC signing service and tiered subscription-plus-usage pricing for the timestamping service (€350-€16,000 annually plus per-token fees from €0.0045 to €0.05). The company is headquartered in Ivry-sur-Seine, France, reports annual revenue of €4.5M, and has 4 operational sites. No external funding, acquisitions, or management team details are publicly disclosed, consistent with its role as a state-owned subsidiary focused on national digital sovereignty rather than venture-backed growth.

Name

Certinomis

Legal name

Docaposte Certinomis SAS

Website

https://certinomis.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Certinomis is a French digital trust operator providing eIDAS-qualified electronic certificates, digital signatures, and timestamping services to 50,000+ enterprises and public administrations, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Docaposte (Groupe La Poste).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Charenton-le-pont

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Electronic Certificate Sales: Certinomis generates revenue primarily through the sale of electronic certificates at various price points ranging from €50 to €1,050+ depending on certificate type, validation level, validity period (1-4 years), and delivery format (software, smart card, USB token, or HSM). Certificates are sold on a per-unit, per-validity-period basis (one-time purchase per certificate validity period).
2. Electronic Timestamping Service: The electronic timestamping service is offered on a subscription plus per-token usage model. Annual subscription fees range from €350 (up to 10,000 tokens) to €16,000 (up to 5,000,000 tokens), with additional tokens priced from €0.05 (0-10K tier) down to €0.0045 (1M-5M tier) per token. This provides recurring subscription revenue plus usage-based upside.
3. Centralized Signature Service (Certinomis SC): Certinomis SC subscription service for remote qualified electronic signatures. Offered as annual subscriptions with tacit renewal. Users authenticate via L'Identité Numérique de La Poste and create qualified electronic signatures remotely without local software installation.
4. Corporate Managed PKI Service: Modular managed PKI service where organizations can outsource certification operations. Costs vary depending on the volume of certificates and which functions are delegated to Certinomis (full outsourcing to partial internalization).
5. Professional Services and Technical Support: Technical support services including telephone support (0 892 70 70 66, €0.40/min) and assistance for installation and troubleshooting of certificates and smart card readers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Certinomis is a French digital trust operator providing electronic certificates (organization certificates, server/client certificates, SSL/TLS), qualified eIDAS electronic signatures, electronic timestamping, and managed PKI services. The company issues certificates compliant with ETSI EN 319 411-1 and EN 319 411-2 standards and qualified under RGS 1-star and 2-star and eIDAS qualified levels. It serves enterprises, public administrations, and associations through direct online portals, 10,000+ La Poste branch distribution points, and a partner channel.

Product overview

Certinomis is a digital trust operator (Opérateur de Confiance Numérique) providing a comprehensive portfolio of electronic certificate, digital signature, and timestamping services. The core offerings include: (1) Certinomis SC - a centralized remote electronic signature service enabling qualified eIDAS signatures from any device; (2) Certinomis Corporate - a managed PKI service for organizations outsourcing certificate lifecycle management; (3) Service d'Horodatage Electronique - a 24x7 high-availability electronic timestamping service. The certificate product line spans organization certificates (Agent, Web Access, Secure Access, Décideur, Exécutif, Téléprocédures, Téléservices, Professionnel, Dématérialisation, Express, Confidentialité) and server certificates (Serveur Cachet, Serveur Client, WEB SSL SCT, Wildcard SCT) across RGS 1-star and 2-star, as well as eIDAS qualified levels. Additionally, Certinomis i-Pro and i-Lib subscriptions enable qualified signatures via the Identité Numérique de La Poste identity verification system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Certinomis SC: Signature Centralisée - remote electronic signature service allowing users to create qualified electronic signatures from any device.
• Certinomis Corporate (Corporate service PKI)
• Service d'Horodatage Electronique

Products and services

• Certinomis SC (Signature Centralisée)

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• La Poste (L'Identité Numérique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertinomis's centralized remote signature service (Certinomis SC / Certinomis i-Pro / Certinomis i-Lib) is integrated with L'Identité Numérique de La Poste, France's first electronic identity method notified to the European Union at the substantial assurance level. This enables subscribers to create qualified electronic signatures remotely using their smartphone after identity verification at a post office or by a postal carrier.
• Adobe SigncoreTechnology or IntegrationAdobe Sign's signature orchestration platform is connected to Certinomis's remote signature creation service via L'Identité Numérique. Subscribers to Certinomis i-Pro or i-Lib can create qualified electronic signatures when using Adobe Sign, combining Certinomis's qualified trust service with Adobe's document management platform. The Cloud Signature Consortium protocol enables seamless mobile integration.
• Channel Partners (Resellers, Distributors, Delegated Registration Authorities)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCertinomis has a structured partnership program including business introducers, resellers who commercialize trust services, distributors who manage client relationships and billing, and delegates who become delegated registration authorities. Partners span various sectors including insurance, banking, solution publishers, and industry.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Adobe (Adobe Sign / Acrobat Sign): Adobe Sign is a global e-signature platform natively integrated with Certinomis certificates for qualified PDF signatures. Comparable as an incumbent broad e-signature player, and notable because Certinomis is actually a trust service provider partner of Adobe Sign via Cloud Signature Consortium.
• DocuSign: Global leader in electronic signature and agreement management with EU presence and eIDAS-qualified offerings. Operates at much larger scale globally but competes directly with Certinomis in the French enterprise e-signature market, particularly for non-qualified and standard qualified signatures.
• DigiCert: Global leader in SSL/TLS and enterprise PKI certificates. Comparable as a broad incumbent in PKI services, particularly competing for enterprise and web server certificate business. Also operates qualified trust service offerings in Europe through DigiCert France subsidiary.
• Thales (Gemalto): Thales (which absorbed Gemalto) supplies the smart card hardware (Gemalto MD 940) used by Certinomis and also operates its own digital identity and PKI services business. Comparable as a broader digital security incumbent with overlapping trust services and identity credentials offerings, particularly for government and enterprise.
• GlobalSign: Global PKI and SSL/TLS certificate authority, current SSL partner of Certinomis. Operates a much broader international PKI infrastructure including SSL, IoT, and enterprise PKI. Comparable as a broader PKI incumbent, with overlap in SSL/TLS and enterprise certificate segments.

Direct peers

• Yousign: French electronic signature platform providing eIDAS-qualified and simple electronic signatures, with strong traction in French SMB and mid-market. Direct overlap with Certinomis in French qualified signature market, particularly competing for the same enterprise and SMB customers with a more modern cloud-first UX.
• Universign: French eIDAS-qualified trust service provider offering electronic signatures, timestamping, and certificate services to enterprises and public administrations. Universign is the most direct French competitor with overlapping qualified trust service positioning and customer segments.
• Cryptolog International: French specialist in electronic timestamping and digital trust services, eIDAS qualified. Directly comparable to Certinomis's timestamping business and competes for similar French enterprise and public-sector timestamping workloads.
• IDEMIA: French-headquartered digital identity and security specialist providing PKI services, qualified trust services, electronic signatures, and government identity credentials. Highly comparable in regulatory positioning (eIDAS qualified, ANSSI references) and French public-sector customer base.

Others

• Docaposte: Direct parent company of Certinomis and a major French digital services provider (document management, BPO, digital mailroom, electronic registered mail). Comparable as an ecosystem participant — Certinomis provides trust services that feed Docaposte's broader digital document services, including Lettre Recommandée Electronique.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Certinomis