Security

How to verify a certified electronic signature (TTE) on a PDF in Indonesia

Indonesian law distinguishes certified electronic signatures (made with a certificate from a PSrE recognised by the government) from uncertified ones. To check a certified signature, use the government's official PDF verification service for electronic signatures, and check integrity and changes after signing with a PDF signature checker. Government documents signed through BSrE are checked the same way.

4 min read

Verify SignatureCheck a PDF's digital signatures

Indonesian government offices, universities, courts and businesses now sign enormous numbers of PDFs electronically: decrees, letters, certificates, diplomas, transcripts, contracts. Many carry a small logo or QR code and the words "ditandatangani secara elektronik". Here is how to check them properly.

The short answer

  1. Use the government's PDF verification service for certified electronic signatures, run by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi): the ministry known until 2024 as Kominfo. Upload the PDF; it reports whether the signature is valid and who signed.
  2. Check integrity and changes after signing with Verify PDF Signature, which also shows what was added after signing and the version that was signed.
  3. If the document has a QR code, check that it opens an official address before trusting it.
  • The Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE), Law No. 11 of 2008 as amended, gives electronic signatures legal force and legal consequences when they meet its requirements.
  • Government Regulation No. 71 of 2019 distinguishes:
  • Certified electronic signatures (tanda tangan elektronik tersertifikasi): made with an electronic certificate from an Electronic Certification Provider (PSrE) recognised by the government; and
  • Uncertified electronic signatures: made without such a certificate.
  • Certified signatures carry stronger evidential weight. Many government processes require them.
  • The BSrE (Balai Besar Sertifikasi Elektronik), a technical unit of the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), issues certificates widely used by government bodies; other PSrE serve businesses and the public.
  • In 2024 the communications ministry was renamed from Kominfo to Komdigi (Kementerian Komunikasi dan Digital). Its electronic-signature site, which also lists the recognised PSrE, moved to the new name, so older instructions that mention Kominfo refer to the same service.

Step 1: the official verification service

Komdigi's electronic-signature website offers a PDF verification page (verifikasi dokumen PDF). It is designed for certified signatures from recognised PSrE.

How to use it:

  1. Open the verification page from Komdigi's official website, found by searching yourself, not through a link or QR code printed on the document, which a forger could replace.
  2. Upload the signed PDF exactly as you received it. A scan, print or re-saved copy has no digital signature left to check.
  3. Read the result: whether each signature is valid, who signed, and which provider issued the certificate.
  4. Compare the signer's name and the provider with what you expect: a ministry decree signed through BSrE, for example, or a company contract signed through a commercial PSrE.

Step 2: integrity and changes after signing

Upload the same PDF to Verify PDF Signature:

  • Signature: Valid and Unchanged since [name] signed it mean the signed content is intact.
  • Changes after signing are listed in plain words. "Page 1: a text box was added", "Page 2: the page content was changed". On a decree, certificate or diploma, a change after signing is a strong warning.
  • Compare the changed pages shows each page as signed and as it is now; Download the version that was signed gives you the exact signed original.

Step 3: the certificate

In Certificate details, the chain should run from the signer through a PSrE's certification authority to the Indonesian root. The Issued by field names the provider.

Our Trust row may say Not trusted because the Indonesian root is not on this service's list; Adobe may show "validity unknown" for the same reason. That is a list question, not a verdict. The official verification service is the authority on certified status. See Why Adobe says “Signature validity is unknown”.

Common real-life situations

A government letter with a BSrE logo and QR code

The logo and QR code are printed pictures. What proves the document is the digital signature inside the PDF. Check the PDF itself. If the PDF you have contains no digital signature, it may be a scan or print of the original. Ask for the original electronic file.

A diploma or transcript from a university

Many Indonesian universities sign diplomas and transcripts with certified electronic signatures, and the national higher-education database can confirm graduates. Check the file, then confirm the record with the institution or the national database. See How to verify a government certificate or university degree PDF.

A contract signed through an e-signature app

Some apps use a PSrE certificate for each signer (certified); others only place an image and keep an audit trail (uncertified). Verify PDF Signature will show which: a digital signature per signer, a platform seal, or none.

"It verified yesterday and now it doesn't"

Someone re-saved, compressed, merged or printed the PDF. Those steps remove or break signatures. Use the original file.

What our checker does and does not tell you

Verify PDF Signature reports integrity, changes after signing, the certificate and chain, revocation, timestamps and whether long-term validation data is present, and lets you download a PDF report. Whether a signature is certified under Indonesian law is determined by the government's verification service and the recognised PSrE list.

Common questions

How do I check a certified electronic signature (TTE) in Indonesia?

Upload the PDF to the government's official PDF verification service for electronic signatures, reached through the official website of Komdigi (the ministry formerly called Kominfo). Check integrity and changes after signing with a PDF signature checker as well.

What is the difference between certified and uncertified electronic signatures?

Under Government Regulation No. 71 of 2019, a certified signature uses an electronic certificate from a recognised PSrE; an uncertified one does not. Certified signatures carry stronger evidential weight.

The document has a BSrE logo, but no signature is found. Why?

The logo is only a printed picture. If the PDF contains no digital signature, it is probably a scan, print or re-saved copy. Ask for the original electronic file.

Why does Adobe show a question mark on an Indonesian signature?

Adobe on your computer may not trust the Indonesian root. The document can still be intact; use the official verification service for the certified status.

Related guides

SecurityWhat is a digital signature in a PDF, and why does my signed PDF say it has none?A signature you can see on a page (drawn, typed, scanned or stamped) is a picture. A digital signature is invisible proof, made with a certificate, that the document has not changed since it was signed and who signed it. A PDF can show a signature and still contain no digital signature at all.SecurityWhat is a digital certificate (.pfx / .p12), and do I need one to sign a PDF?A digital certificate is a digital ID: a small file, usually ending in .pfx or .p12, that holds your verified name and a secret key. It is issued to you by an organisation that has checked who you are. You need one to make a digital signature, but not to simply put your signature on a PDF.SecurityWhat is a trusted timestamp, and why does a signature need one?A trusted timestamp is an independent record of when you signed, made by an outside service that nobody involved in the document controls. Without one, the only proof of the signing time is your own computer's clock, and a clock can be wrong, or changed on purpose.