eIDAS Regulation · Comparison
The eIDAS Regulation recognizes three types of electronic signature. All three have legal effect; what changes is how the signer is identified and how hard it is to defend the signature if someone disputes it. Here is how to choose without overdoing it or falling short.
The eIDAS Regulation defines three types of electronic signature (simple, advanced and qualified) that differ in how the signer is identified and how the document is protected: the simple one is enough for low-risk consent, the advanced one is the standard for contracts and employment paperwork, and the qualified one is the only one that has by law the same effect as a handwritten signature throughout the European Union.
A click, a checkbox or an email confirmation. For low-risk consent.
Learn more →Signer identified with a PIN by text message or email, document protected against changes.
Learn more →Qualified certificate from a trust service provider. Equivalent to a handwritten signature.
Learn more →What is recorded with every signature, whatever its level, so it can be proven.
Learn more →How to decide
Side by side
A quick read of the differences that matter when you have to decide. All three levels are used from the same platform and with the same sending workflow.
| Feature | Level 1 Simple | Level 2 Advanced | Level 3 Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security level | Basic | High | Highest |
| Signer identification | Not required: a click, a checkbox or an email confirmation is enough | Mandatory: one-time PIN by text message or email, handwritten stroke on screen | Qualified certificate issued by a trust service provider that has verified the signer's identity |
| Document integrity | Does not, on its own, guarantee the document stays unchanged | Any later change invalidates the signature | Any change invalidates it, backed by a qualified device and certificate |
| Evidence recorded | Date, time, IP address and email | Plus authentication method, time stamp and document fingerprint | Plus certificate data and a qualified time stamp |
| Legal value (eIDAS) | Valid; its weight as evidence depends on the audit trail | Valid, and carries considerable weight if challenged | Same legal effect as a handwritten signature throughout the EU |
| Typical uses | Terms of service, forms, internal policies | Commercial and employment contracts, NDAs, authorizations | High-value transactions, financial agreements, procedures that require a qualified signature |
Regulatory framework
Typical scenarios
Retail · customer onboarding
Before The company required a digital certificate to accept its general terms, and many customers abandoned sign-up halfway through.
After Terms are accepted with a simple signature and logged evidence; advanced signatures only for contracts with a price attached. Sign-up now takes a couple of minutes.
Services · maintenance contracts
Before Contracts were accepted with a single click on an email link. Faced with non-payment, the customer claimed they had never accepted the renewal.
After Contracts move to advanced signatures with a PIN sent by text message to the customer's phone. The identification and the exact version of the document are documented in the evidence file.
Group with EU subsidiaries
Before The document was signed by hand, scanned and sent by courier to be signed at the other office. Two weeks of back and forth.
After Each authorized representative signs with their qualified certificate. The qualified signature is recognized as such in every Member State with no further formalities.
Vocabulary
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Article 25(1) of the eIDAS Regulation prevents it from being denied legal effect or admissibility as evidence solely because it is electronic. Its weak spot is evidential: if it is challenged, whoever relies on it will have to prove it was made by the person claimed.
Article 26 requires four things of an advanced signature: it must be uniquely linked to the signer, capable of identifying them, created using means under their sole control, and linked to the signed data so that any subsequent change is detectable.
A qualified signature is an advanced signature created by a qualified signature creation device and based on a qualified certificate. That combination is what gives it, under Article 25(2), the same legal effect as a handwritten signature.
That is the recommended approach. Each document gets the level it needs: simple for internal policies, advanced for contracts and qualified for the acts that require it. In KimoSign the level is chosen with every request.
Yes. In a contract the customer can sign with an advanced signature and the company's authorized representative with their qualified certificate. Each signature keeps its own evidence.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 keeps the three signature levels and adds the European Digital Identity Wallet, which over time will make it easier to identify signers in cross-border transactions.
We will show you how to sign a real document at the level you need, in half an hour.
Keep exploring
Simple e-signature by click, checkbox or email confirmation, logging the date, time, IP address and document…
Advanced e-signature compliant with Art. 26 eIDAS: PIN by text message or email, handwritten signature on…
Qualified e-signature with a certificate from a trust service provider and a qualified time stamp: same…
What KimoSign records with every signature: authentication, time stamp, SHA-256 fingerprint, IP and device…
The eIDAS Regulation distinguishes three types of electronic signature: the simple electronic signature, the advanced electronic signature and the qualified electronic signature. All three have legal effect, but they differ in how the signer is identified, how the integrity of the document is protected and where the burden of proof lies.
KimoSign lets you use all three levels from the same platform, choosing for each request the one that fits the document, with a time stamp and an evidence file in every case.
