Electronic signatures come in all forms and shapes. They have become an important part of everyday business life. It’s important to choose the correct type of electronic signatures to fully support your business’ needs. In this blog, we give you the most important information about the 3 types of digital signatures and we explain how they are linked to eIDAS.  

What does eIDAS stand for?  

 eIDAS is the abbreviation of “Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services”. It lays out the fundamentals for trust services in the European Union. Its goal is to gain trust in the digitizing world and ensure that electronic transactions in and between member states of the EU can occur under the same regulated circumstances. Electronic signatures are an example of trust services.  

What are the 3 types of electronic signatures?  

Electronic signatures are divided into 3 types in the eIDAS regulation. Each type has its own characteristics and they are used on different occasions.  

• Simple electronic signatures (SES): Sign documents without a registration or certificate. Some examples are typing your name in a form, ticking a box or clicking ‘I agree’ on a web page. This level of signature is easy to implement, but it offers the lowest level of security and assurance.  
   

• Advanced electronic signatures (AdES): This type of signature is always uniquely linked to the signatory. Each advanced electronic signature is encrypted and comes with a timestamp. These features of the signature provide a higher level of security.  

• Qualified electronic signatures (QES): These signatures offer the highest level of security and assurance. It meets all the requirements of an Advanced Electronic Signature and is created by a qualified electronic signature creation device. On top of that, the signature is accompanied by a qualified certificate for electronic signatures issued by a qualified trust service provider. A QES has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature across the EU.  

It's important to be aware of local or sectoral legislations about which type of digital signature your business should choose when implementing a digital signing platform. eSignHaven offers all 3 types of signatures.  

The digital signing platfrom eSignHaven offers all types of electronic signatures. You can select the disered type of signature based on your organisation’s needs. Not sure which type of signature you have to choose? Our experienced and dedicated team is happy to help.