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For tax advisors
Identify absent clients with a qualified signature
Ask a remote client for a qualified electronic signature, collect their documents, and keep the AML file in one place. Identity checks are included, with no fee per check.
From 10 July 2027, the EU AML Regulation covers anyone whose main business is tax help.
Download the client file
Sound familiar?
The client is known, so nobody checked
MESSENGER
Receipts by photo
From the client
Receipts arrive by email, messenger and paper.
Email has no status, deadline or reminder, so every follow-up starts from zero.
One place per client, with requests and status.
CLIENT FILE
Client since 2009, no ID on file
Long-standing client
Long-standing clients were never properly identified.
Knowing a client for years doesn't replace the identification duty.
Send identity and KYC requests to existing clients too.
CHAMBER
AML inspection announced
From your chamber
The chamber can fine identification failures.
German tax advisers' chambers publish fines, including for breaching the identification duty.
Every check stored and dated on the client's record.
The rules
German law already names the qualified signature
GwG §12(1) Nr 3
A legal means of identification
A qualified electronic signature is listed as a way to verify identity, provided you validate it and see a payment from the client's own account.
BStBK, 1 Jan 2026
Your chamber's suggestion
For a client who isn't present, the German tax advisers' chamber suggests asking for a qualified electronic signature.
AMLR Article 3(3)(a)
Every tax adviser covered
From 10 July 2027, anyone whose main business is tax help is an obliged entity.
The EU AML Regulation applies from 10 July 2027.
See how Trust Circle maps to AMLR, article by article →How it works for a new client
From first contact to signed mandate
- 01
Invite the client
Add them to your People directory and send one secure link.
- 02
They verify once
ID document scan and liveness check on their phone. Valid for 2 years.
- 03
They answer your KYC questionnaire
Purpose, occupation, source of funds, PEP status and sanctions, scored into a risk level.
- 04
They sign with a QES
The engagement and power of attorney, signed in the ZealiD app.
A simple e-signature is enough for a German tax power of attorney. The QES is there for identification.
KYC
An AML file you can show the chamber
Every client shows identity status, KYC status, risk level and the date their answers run out.
Document sharing
Receipts in one place, not five
Each client gets a Trust Circle for receipts, statements and returns. Everyone in it is identity-verified.
Qualified signature
Signed in minutes, from anywhere
A qualified electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten one in every EU country (eIDAS Article 25(2)). Clients sign in the ZealiD app by scanning a QR code.
Engagement letter.pdf
Scan with the ZealiD app to sign
Qualified electronic signature · qualified timestamp
Customer KYC · DocuSign
Read the case study →Meets German AML rules (GwG)
DocuSign resells ZealiD's qualified signature, with ID document data, to its customers in German finance for remote identification.
Pricing
Two plans for tax practices
Professional + KYC add-on
€119.20 a month, billed yearly
+ €100 a month for KYC
- Up to 10 users
- 75 QES a month
- KYC questionnaires, risk scoring and automatic renewal
Starter
€39.20 a month, billed yearly
- Up to 3 users
- 15 QES a month
- DocuSign, Adobe and Microsoft integrations
- No KYC questionnaire
Identity verification is included in every plan, with no fee per check. See all plans →
For your IT and security review
Answers your security team will ask for
- ZealiD AB is a Qualified Trust Service Provider on the EU Trusted List (Sweden)
- Supervised by the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS)
- Audited every year by TÜViT, an accredited eIDAS conformity assessment body
- Documents stored in Stockholm, EU
- Client consent recorded
ZealiD AB
QUALIFIED TRUST SERVICE PROVIDER
Identify your next client from a distance
Verify them, sign the mandate and collect their documents, in one place.
FAQ
Questions from tax advisors
Is a qualified signature enough to identify a client under the GwG?
German law lists a qualified electronic signature as a means of identification (GwG §12(1) Nr 3). You must validate the signature and make sure a payment comes from an account in the client's name.
Does the power of attorney need a QES?
No. The German tax advisers' chamber says a simple electronic signature is enough for the power of attorney.
Does identity verification cost extra?
No. It is included in every plan, from Micro to Enterprise, with no limit on how many people you verify. The person verifying doesn't pay either. A verification stays valid for 2 years.
How long are records kept?
AML records for 5 years. In Germany, client files (Handakten) are kept for 10 years (StBerG §66).
How often do clients renew their KYC?
You choose 6, 12, 24 or 36 months, and Trust Circle sends the request 30 days before the answers expire. Under AMLR, higher-risk clients need fresh data at least every year and everyone else at least every 5 years.
Which plan do we need?
Professional with the KYC add-on if you are under AML supervision. Starter if you need identity, documents and signing without the KYC questionnaire.
More questions? See all answers on ZealiD Answers →