Qualified electronic signatureĪ qualified electronic signature carries the highest standing in the EU and can be used in all situations where a handwritten signature can be used. A result of the added verification requirements is that the AES is more trustworthy and can be officially used in more situations. If the data associated with the signature (the document) is tampered with, it shall be detectable due to the AES.īecause of its nature, it’s usually more complex to set up this kind of electronic signature, and costs more to use it on a regular basis.

Allows the signer to be identified in association with their signature.The first tier is known as the simple electronic signature and it is the most common type of electronic signature in use.Īn advanced electronic signature is a type of electronic signature that has met the requirements set out in EU regulations. This type of electronic signature is unique to the European Union and is the second tier of its three-tier system. This type of electronic signature offers more protection when it’s imperative that the identity of the signer(s) is verified before an agreement is signed. For example, you’ll need to go through a certificate authority and a digital certificate, amongst others. The public key is available to anyone that needs it and is used to verify the authenticity of the signature that’s attached to a document.īefore a digital signature can be used, it has additional requirements in line with PKI. The private key is only known to the signer and it is what they use to sign documents electronically. PKI works with a private key and a public key. It’s a type of electronic signature that’s encrypted, authenticated, and later verified using what’s known as public key infrastructure (PKI). Digital signatureĪ digital signature is most often used interchangeably with an electronic signature. These include but aren’t limited to digital signatures, consent signatures, qualified electronic signatures, advanced electronic signatures, etc. Electronic signature is a catchall term that’s used to describe a wide range of signatures.

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