Direct debit mandates given over the phone or made by verbal agreement are not valid nor sufficient, except for direct debit mandates given over the phone if they are certified according to a probative convention previously agreed between creditor and debtor. However, there is no mandatory format for direct debit mandates, which may be on paper or an electronic document. Nevertheless, pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 260/2012, of 14 March 2012, direct debit mandates, together with later modifications or cancellations, must be signed by debtors, manually or electronically, and stored by the creditor or a third party on behalf of the creditor.