Complete guide to Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES)
Have you wondered about qualified electronic signatures and their importance today? Qualified electronic signatures (QES) offer secure methods to electronically sign and verify documents, revolutionizing the efficiency of agreements across many sectors.
What is a Qualified Electronic Signature?
Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) use qualified digital certificates to confirm the signer’s identity and link them explicitly to the document. Crucially, signatories must exclusively control their signature keys, enhancing security and accountability.
Utilizes qualified digital certificates
Verifies the signer's identity clearly
Exclusive control over signature keys
How does the QES ensure the authenticity of the signatory's identity
Yes, a QES is legally valid and carries the same legal effect as a handwritten signature in both the EU and Switzerland. It is the only electronic signature type explicitly recognized by law as fully binding and admissible in court.
Legal Standards and Regulations
QES are governed under strict frameworks like the EU's eIDAS regulation and Switzerland’s ZertES Act. These frameworks outline rigorous criteria for issuing qualified certificates, granted only to accredited Qualified Trust Service Providers (QTSP). Adhering to these standards ensures legal validity and reliability of QES.
Regulated by eIDAS and ZertES
Qualified certificates issued by accredited QTSP
Ensures legal compliance and validity
Are QES legally valid and equivalent to handwritten signatures?
Yes, a QES is legally valid and carries the same legal effect as a handwritten signature in both the EU and Switzerland. It is the only electronic signature type explicitly recognized by law as fully binding and admissible in court.
Electronic Signature Types: Choosing Between SES, AES and QES.
The eIDAS regulation defines three types of electronic signatures:
Simple Electronic Signature (SES): Suitable for basic, low-risk digital signatures.
Advanced Electronic Signature (AES): Offers better identity verification and security, ideal for sensitive documents.
Qualified Electronic Signature (QES): Provides maximum security, equivalent legally to handwritten signatures, authorized by QTSPs, ideal for high-value or highly regulated documents.
How does a QES differ from other electronic signatures?
Unlike Simple (SES) or Advanced Electronic Signatures (AES), only QES is legally equivalent to a handwritten signature and is recognized under EU eIDAS and Swiss ZertES regulations.
Sign.Plus provides all these eSignature levels, helping you select the most suitable type for each transaction.
When do you need to use a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES)?
Use a QES for legally regulated documents, high-risk contracts, or whenever you need the highest level of digital signature security and legal validity. Common uses:
The law requires a written form (e.g., certain contracts, official documents).
The document carries high liability or legal risk, such as consumer credit contracts, rental agreements, employment contracts, or tax documents.
Legal certainty and evidential value, equivalent to a handwritten signature in court
You handle sensitive or high-value agreements, or need to prove document authenticity and signer identity beyond doubt.
Advantages of Qualified Electronic Signatures
Legal Security and Compliance
Legally equivalent to handwritten signatures
Strong auditing ensures compliance
Trust, Reliability and Security
Ensures document authenticity
Trusted verification of signer identity
Operational Efficiency and Cost Reduction
Less paperwork and reduced administrative efforts
Efficient workflow improvements
Lowered fraud and error-related costs
Practical Applications for QES
Highly Regulated Sectors
QES is essential in industries with strict regulations, such as finance, healthcare, insurance, and real estate. For example:
Employment contracts ensuring legal authenticity
Property sales and mortgage agreements
Insurance policy validations
Medical record authorizations and healthcare partnerships
International Transactions
QES streamlines cross-border document transactions within the EU, as eIDAS allows mutual recognition among member states. This significantly simplifies international agreements and trade documentation.
Cross-border commercial contracts
Customs documentation
Government Use Cases
Governments adopt QES for secure internal and external documentation processes, from issuing permits and licenses to tax filings and digital voting systems.
Public sector permit and license applications
Secure tax submissions and e-government services
How do I create an electronic signature?
Log into Sign.Plus and enable QES verification
Prepare and upload the document, adding required fields.
Select “Qualified Signature” as the signing method.
Send the document, where additional verification occurs via Swisscom.
Verifying a Qualified Electronic Signature
Verification checks the digital certificates associated with QES to confirm identity and document authenticity. Regular validation protects against fraud and reinforces document trustworthiness.The secret behind this legality is the robust technology behind these digital signatures. Let's take a closer look at how an electronic signature works.
Qualified Electronic Signatures enhance document security, speed up administrative tasks, and reduce overall costs. Adopting QES strengthens your organization's digital transactions, promoting trust and legal assurance.
Sign.Plus offers reliable QES solutions tailored for maximum security and convenience, benefiting organizations across industries. Explore Sign.Plus today to experience simplified and secure digital signing.
FAQs
The signatory must undergo strong identity verification, typically via face-to-face or remote video identification, conducted by a qualified trust service provider
The provider issues a qualified digital certificate containing the signer's verified personal information, which is securely linked to the signature
The signature is created using a secure device (QSCD), ensuring it cannot be forged or altered.
This process guarantees that the identity of the signer is unambiguously established and legally linked to the signature, providing the highest level of legal assurance and evidentiary value
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