The documents under private signature are an important category of preconstituted documents, characterized by the lack of formalism and the freedom of the parties to elaborate them.
The form of the document under private signature is sometimes imposed by the law for the validity of the legal operation, and sometimes it is established ad probationem. In the cases where the written form is imposed ad validitatem, the legal document will not produce its effects envisaged by the parties upon its conclusion, unless it has been ascertained in writing. On the other hand, the non-compliance with the form of ad probationem generally brings about the impossibility of proving the legal act with another means of evidence.
The written form may be an authentic document or a document under private signature. Also, the electronic document fulfils the condition of form ad validitatem or, as the case may be, ad probationem, if it was generated according to the provisions of the Law No 455/2001 on electronic signature.
In principle, the only requirement for the validity of a document under private signature is the signature of the parties or, in some cases, only the signature of one of them. The signature expresses the will of the parties or, as the case may be, of the party to assume the contents of the document they have signed/he has signed.
In the cases expressly provided, the legislator also imposes the fulfilment of some special conditions for the validity of the document under private signature. Thus, in the case of documents under private signature which establish the existence of sinalagmatic conventions, „plurality of copies” is required, and in the case of documents under private signature which establisg unilateral obligations (which have as object the payment of a sum of money or a quantity of fungible goods) it is required the formality or mention „good and approved for…”.
The content of the document under private signature can be reproduced on any material support (paper, cloth, wood, metal, glass, CD, stick, etc.), in any form (handwritten, typed, printed, lithographed, electronic), in Romanian or in any other language or in a conventional language of the parties. Instead, the signature must be written by hand by the party or parties, not being allowed the typing, lithography or printing, or the replacement by a seal or by fingerprint. By way of exception to this rule, the legislator recognizes the validity of the electronic signature reproduced under the terms of the Law No 455/2001.
