Outdated concepts around qualified signatures
Qualified electronic signatures (QES) used to be seen as:
- a hassle for your customers
- expensive for your business
- only legally required in a few use cases
Scrive QES - Qualified electronic signatures made easy
Scrive’s QES solution makes qualified electronic signatures simple and affordable so you can future-proof your business with the highest level of reliability and legal recognition across the EU. As a Qualified Trust Services Provider (QTSP) under the eIDAS regulation, Scrive helps you build customer trust while staying compliant.
Rethinking QES
How the playing field has changed
But Scrive has transformed this experience, offering a user-friendly, cost-effective QES solution that provides the same legal recognition as a handwritten signature:
- No cumbersome onboarding for your signatories
- No video ID check
- No high fees
How Scrive QES works
Scrive QES allows signatories to sign an agreement in seconds using BankID or any of the numerous national electronic ID methods (eIDs) that conform to the standards set forth under eIDAS, the EU regulation that defines the framework for electronic signatures and eIDs.
So for the same effort it takes to sign with an Advanced Electronic Signature (AES), you get a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES), the highest level of reliability and legal recognition per eIDAS.
The future favours QES
Across the EU, there’s a growing trend towards making QES the gold standard for signing legally binding agreements. Examples include:
- Belgian law already specifies a number of agreements that require QES (if signed electronically), and other EU states are likely to follow suit.
- The Swedish Ministry of Finance’s 2023 report on government e-identification states that it should be capable of creating QES.
- The Swedish Land Registry (Lantmäteriet) has proposed a QES requirement for certain documents.
- In Norway, Norwegian BankID is undergoing certification as a QTSP and plans to replace all its signatures with QES.
QES solution for your market
Read more about our third party solutions in the eID hub
“But does my business really need QES?”
This question used to be a valid one, but Scrive’s QES solution changes the conversation. With the same user experience as Advanced Electronic Signature (AES), there’s no reason not to adopt QES in your agreement workflows.
Adopting QES in your agreement signing workflows lets you:
- Future proof your business now. Protect against rising security threats and tightening compliance standards, signing with QES gives you 100% confidence that your agreements will meet the highest standards of reliability and be legally valid in any EU member state, both in the current regulatory environment or any future one.
- Build customer trust and confidence by using the most reliable signing method and working with a Qualified Trust Services Provider (QTSP) like Scrive.
How is Scrive QES different?
First, what is a qualified electronic signature? QES is the only type of electronic signature that can always be relied upon to have the same legal validity of a handwritten (“wet”) signature.
By legal requirements, a QES must be created by a Qualified Signature Creation Device (QSCD), and be based on a qualified certificate for electronic signatures. These requirements are the responsibility of the e-signature service provider and their partners, not the parties signing the document.
Most QES solutions combine the identity proofing method with the signature. By contrast, Scrive QES is based on the issuance of short-term qualified certificates that are created with eIDs notified according to the eIDAS (currently supporting Swedish BankID). This enables Scrive QES to be used with ease across borders within the EU, allowing users from any member state to sign the same document. Other benefits include:
- Enhanced security. By reducing the validity period of certificates, the risk of misuse due to a compromised certificate is significantly minimised.
- Improved risk management. By limiting the lifespan of certificates, organisations can better control that only authorised personnel are using them for signing.
- Adaptability to cryptographic advancements. As cryptographic algorithms evolve, short-term certificates allow for quicker adaptation to stronger algorithms and protocols without waiting for older certificates to expire.
Future-proof your business today
QES is becoming the default choice for secure and compliant electronic signatures. With Scrive QES, you can meet today’s highest security and regulatory requirements while being prepared for future changes—all with a simple, cost-effective solution. Future-proof your business with QES now