Qualified Electronic Signature

The eIDAS Regulation

E-Signature and Digital Signature Standards Driving Digital Transformation

Regulations like eIDAS in the EU, ZertES in Switzerland, and Medida Provisoria 2.200-2 in Brazil provide broad frameworks, which allow for secure digital authentication and the use of electronic and digital signatures.

There are generally three forms of e-signature recognized around the world:

Simple E-Signature (SES)
Advanced E-Signature (AES)
Qualified E-Signature (QES)

The Advanced E-Signature is the most commonly used signature type and includes higher identity proofing requirements than the Simple E-Signature. The Qualified E-Signature is an Advanced E-Signature backed by a digital certificate issued by a qualified trust service provider. Stringent identification and digital certificate requirements can make Qualified E-Signatures impractical for many business transactions.

Visit the eSignature Legality Guide to learn the facts about electronic and digital signature laws around the world.

Choosing the Right Solution

Choosing the most suitable type of signature for your use case is a balancing act between customer experience, identity assurance, and risk mitigation

Standard Electronic Signature (SES)

No registration required
Authentication is optional
Optimized customer experience and time-to-market

Advanced Electronic Signature (AES)

Relies on international standards
Incorporates digital identity and multi-factor authentication
Burden of proof is on the business

Qualified Electronic Signature (QES)

In certain use cases, the law requires the use of a Qualified Electronic Signature
Requires face-to face identity verification
Burden of proof is on the signer

Compliance

OneSpan Sign keeps you compliant, no matter where you do business.

Our solution is designed to meet the requirements for all three forms of e-signature – the simple, advanced, and qualified e-signature.

OneSpan Sign provides comprehensive support for working with Trust Service Providers (TSPs) that issue certificate-based IDs used to validate the identity of signers. Our TSP partners are on the EU Trust List, enabling cross-border recognition of your electronic signatures in all member states of the EU.

OneSpan Sign supports:

Remote Digital Certificates 

cloud/server and key

The individual’s signing key (digital certificate) is held remotely by a qualified TSP within an HSM on behalf of the individual and leveraged by OneSpan Sign to validate the identity of the certificate holder at the time of signing. 

Local Digital Certificates 

card reader with eID card inserted

The individual’s signing key (digital certificate) is held locally on a secure signature creation device (e.g., smart card, token, etc.) and leveraged by OneSpan Sign to validate the identity of the certificate holder at the time of signing.    

Our global TSP partners include:

Full-service Electronic and Digital Signature Platform

OneSpan Sign offers flexibility to deliver optimal customer and employee experiences

No-code workflows to manage the electronic signature process
Robust developer APIs and integration tools to support one-off or custom integrations
Digital signature encryption that guarantees the integrity of e-signed documents and audit trails
Global data centers with support for data residency requirements and the ability to support private cloud and on-premises deployments
Feature-rich, out-of-the-box connectors to multiple third-party platforms and apps that businesses use every day

Download Datasheet

Select integrations include:

The Signing Process

Qualified Electronic Signature - Signing Process

Why OneSpan Sign?

Superior Experience

Bring automation to your e-signature workflows and deliver optimal customer and employee experiences

Strong Electronic Evidence

Vendor-independent audit trails that help you deliver legally binding, admissible, and enforceable e-signatures

Global Solution

An enterprise-grade solution that scales across geographies, use cases, and channels, and integrates with the apps you use every day

Secure Agreements

Bank-grade security, strong identity verification, and support for digital certificates that adhere to global standards (e.g., X.509 PKI)

Security & Privacy

OneSpan Sign is trusted by some of the world’s most security-conscious organizations. Security and privacy is our priority. Our solution is hosted on world-class data centers around the world and managed according to a variety of regulatory, industry, and IT standards for security and data protection, including:

OneSpan Trust Center

The information contained in this document is for information purpose only, provided as is as of the date of publication and should not be relied upon as legal advice or to determine how the law applies to your business or organization. It is recommended that you seek guidance from your legal counsel with regard to law applying specifically to your business or organization and how to ensure compliance.

Qualified Electronic Signatures

When your signing processes require the highest levels of enforceability and trust

OneSpan Sign