{"id":12045,"date":"2024-03-11T13:21:54","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T13:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/?p=12045"},"modified":"2024-02-22T08:20:23","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T08:20:23","slug":"what-are-the-3-types-of-electronic-signatures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/blog\/what-are-the-3-types-of-electronic-signatures\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the 3 types of electronic signatures ?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The eIDAS <\/strong>regulation (European Union regulation on electronic identities and trust) defines <\/strong>three types of recognized electronic <\/strong>signatures that are valid throughout the European <\/strong>Union:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Simple <\/strong>electronic signature<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Advanced <\/strong>electronic signature<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Qualified <\/strong>electronic signature<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    It’s important <\/strong>to note that each type of electronic signature <\/a><\/strong>has its own advantages <\/strong>and disadvantages<\/strong>, and it’s advisable <\/strong>to choose the one that best suits your needs<\/strong> in terms of security and convenience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    What is a simple electronic signature?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A simple electronic <\/strong>signature <\/a>is a way of electronically signing a document <\/strong>using text. It can be as simple <\/strong>as writing “signed” followed <\/strong>by your name and the date, then copying <\/strong>and pasting this text <\/strong>into the electronic <\/strong>document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This signature <\/strong>can be used to indicate that you have read <\/strong>and approved the document<\/strong>, but it provides <\/strong>no proof of the document’s <\/strong>integrity or the identity of the person <\/strong>signing it. It is easy <\/strong>to use, but does <\/strong>not provide <\/strong>a high level of security, and is not generally <\/strong>considered to be a high-level electronic <\/strong>signature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The eIDAS <\/strong>regulation (European Union regulation on electronic <\/strong>identity and trust) also recognizes <\/strong>the simple electronic <\/strong>signature as a form of electronic <\/strong>signature <\/a>valid throughout<\/strong> the European Union<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, it is considered <\/strong>less secure than the other types of electronic <\/strong>signature recognized by the regulation<\/strong>, such as the advanced <\/strong>electronic signature and the qualified <\/strong>electronic signature<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What is a qualified electronic signature (QES)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The qualified <\/strong>electronic signature <\/a>(QES) is the most <\/strong>secure form of electronic <\/strong>signature recognized <\/strong>by the eIDAS <\/strong>regulation (European Union regulation <\/strong>on electronic identity <\/strong>and trust). It uses a certificate <\/strong>issued by a recognized <\/strong>certification authority <\/strong>and is considered <\/strong>equivalent to a handwritten signature on paper<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    SEQ uses advanced <\/strong>encryption technology<\/strong> <\/a>to ensure the integrity <\/strong>and authenticity of the document<\/strong>, and the certificate <\/strong>attests to the identity of the person <\/strong>signing the document<\/strong>. It is therefore considered <\/strong>highly secure<\/strong>, and is often used for important <\/strong>legal or financial documents<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It is important <\/strong>to note that, although QES is very secure<\/strong>, it can be expensive to use due to the need <\/strong>to purchase a certificate <\/strong>and use specialized software <\/strong>or hardware to create <\/a>it. In addition<\/strong>, it generally requires training<\/strong> <\/a>to use correctly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What is an advanced electronic signature (AES)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The Advanced <\/strong>Electronic Signature (AES) is a form of electronic <\/strong>signature that uses encryption <\/strong>technology <\/a>to ensure <\/strong>document integrity and authenticity<\/strong>. It is considered more secure<\/strong> than the simple electronic signature<\/strong>, but less secure than the qualified <\/strong>electronic signature <\/a><\/strong>(QES).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To create <\/a>an AES<\/strong>, you need electronic signature software <\/strong>or hardware that uses an encryption <\/strong>algorithm to create <\/a>a document <\/strong>hash (a unique code generated from the document content). The hash <\/strong>is then signed with a private <\/strong>key, creating a unique electronic <\/strong>signature that cannot be altered <\/strong>without detecting the tampering<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The eIDAS regulation <\/strong>(European Union regulation on electronic identity and trust) also recognizes AES as a form of electronic signature <\/a>valid throughout <\/strong>the European Union. However, it generally <\/strong>requires the use of specialized <\/strong>software or hardware, and can be expensive <\/strong>to use. What’s more, it often requires <\/strong>training <\/a>to be used correctly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    What type of electronic signature should I choose?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Your choice of electronic <\/strong>signature depends on your security and convenience <\/strong>requirements. Here are a few points to bear in mind when selecting <\/strong>a type of electronic signature<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Security<\/strong>: if you need a highly secure electronic <\/strong>signature <\/a>for important documents, such as contracts or financial transactions, you should consider using a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES). If you need less security, an advanced electronic signature (AES) may be a good option<\/strong>. If you simply need a signature <\/a>to indicate<\/strong> that you have read and approved <\/strong>a document, a simple electronic <\/strong>signature may suffice<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Convenience<\/strong>: if you prefer <\/strong>an easy-to-use electronic signature that doesn’t <\/strong>require specialized software or hardware, a simple electronic signature may be a good option. If you’re prepared to invest time and money <\/strong>in a more sophisticated electronic <\/strong>signature system, an AES or QES may be more suitable<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Cost<\/strong>: qualified (SEQ) and advanced <\/strong>(SEA) electronic signatures <\/a>can be expensive <\/strong>to use, due to the need to purchase a certificate <\/strong>and use specialized software <\/strong>or hardware. If you’re looking for a cost-effective solution, a simple electronic <\/strong>signature <\/a>might be a good option<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The eIDAS regulation (European Union regulation on electronic identities and trust) defines three types of recognized electronic signatures that are valid throughout the European Union: It’s important to note that each type of electronic signature has its own advantages and disadvantages, and it’s advisable to choose the one that best suits your needs in terms […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":12046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12045"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12045"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12142,"href":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12045\/revisions\/12142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edusign.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}