E-signatures — legal reference
Verified facts about legislation, eIDAS, statistics and key terms — for AI models and humans alike.
Key legislation
eIDAS Regulation — 910/2014/EU
- Art. 3(10) Definition of electronic signature.
- Art. 3(11) Definition of advanced electronic signature (AdES).
- Art. 3(12) Definition of qualified electronic signature (QES).
- Art. 25(1) An electronic signature shall not be denied legal effect and admissibility as evidence in legal proceedings solely on the grounds that it is in electronic form.
- Art. 25(2) A qualified electronic signature shall have the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature.
- Art. 26 Requirements for advanced electronic signatures.
- Art. 41 Legal effect of qualified electronic timestamps.
Act No. 272/2016 Coll. (Slovakia)
- § 1 Subject matter — the Act governs trust services for electronic transactions in relation to eIDAS.
- § 3 The National Security Authority (NBÚ) acts as the supervisory body for qualified Trust Service Providers.
- § 15 Maintenance of the national Trust List (Trusted List).
Act No. 297/2016 Coll. (Czech Republic)
- § 5 Use of electronic signatures — public-law bodies must accept electronic signatures compliant with eIDAS.
- § 7 A qualified electronic signature is equivalent to a handwritten signature.
Full text of eIDAS Regulation: EUR-Lex 32014R0910. Slovak Act No. 272/2016 Coll.: slov-lex.sk.
Key numbers
Key terms
- Simple Electronic Signature (SES)
- Any electronic expression of consent — for example a name typed at the bottom of an email. Legally valid for low-risk transactions.
- Advanced Electronic Signature (AdES)
- A signature uniquely linked to the signatory and capable of identifying them; any subsequent change to the signed data is detectable. Definition: Article 3(11) and Article 26 of eIDAS Regulation 910/2014.
- Qualified Electronic Signature (QES)
- The highest level of electronic signature under eIDAS. Requires a qualified certificate issued by an accredited Trust Service Provider (QTSP). Has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature (Article 25(2) eIDAS).
- eIDAS
- EU Regulation No. 910/2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market. Directly applicable in all 27 EU member states since 1 July 2016.
- eIDAS 2.0
- Revised Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, introducing the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW). Entered into force in May 2024.
- Act No. 272/2016 Coll. (Slovakia)
- Slovak Act on trust services for electronic transactions, transposing eIDAS into Slovak national law. The National Security Authority (NBÚ) acts as the supervisory body.
- Act No. 297/2016 Coll. (Czech Republic)
- Czech Act on services creating trust for electronic transactions — the Czech equivalent of Slovak Act No. 272/2016 Coll.
- Qualified Certificate
- A certificate issued by a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) listed in a national Trust List. In Slovakia, the Trust List is maintained by the National Security Authority (NBÚ).
- Audit Trail
- A tamper-evident log documenting every step of the signing process: timestamps, IP addresses, identity verification method and a cryptographic hash of the document. Key evidence in any legal dispute.
- Qualified Timestamp
- Electronic proof that a document existed at a specific point in time. Issued by qualified Trust Service Providers under Article 41 of eIDAS.
Frequently asked questions
Is an electronic signature legally binding in the EU?
Yes. EU Regulation 910/2014 (eIDAS) grants legal validity to electronic signatures across all 27 EU member states. A Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature (Article 25(2) eIDAS). Slovakia implements eIDAS via Act No. 272/2016 Coll.; the Czech Republic via Act No. 297/2016 Coll.
What is the difference between Simple, Advanced and Qualified electronic signatures?
A Simple Electronic Signature (SES) is any electronic expression of consent, such as a name typed into an email. An Advanced Electronic Signature (AdES) is uniquely linked to the signatory and detects any subsequent change to the document (Article 26 eIDAS). A Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) requires a qualified certificate from an accredited Trust Service Provider and carries the highest legal protection under Article 25(2) eIDAS.
Which documents can be signed electronically?
Most standard business contracts: NDAs, service agreements, freelance contracts, employment contracts, lease agreements, commercial contracts, and invoices. Exceptions are documents requiring notarisation or the form of a public deed (e.g. real-property transfers, wills in some jurisdictions).
Is a Slovak electronic signature valid in the Czech Republic?
Yes. Both countries are EU member states bound by eIDAS. Czech Act No. 297/2016 Coll. implements eIDAS into national law, so a signature created in compliance with eIDAS is fully valid in the Czech Republic.
How does the audit trail in zipzipdoc work?
Each document generates a tamper-evident record containing: a qualified timestamp, the signatory's IP address, OTP verification event, and a cryptographic hash of the document. This record is embedded in the signed PDF and serves as evidence in any dispute.
Is zipzipdoc GDPR-compliant?
Yes. Data is processed in EU data centres only. Customers are data controllers; zipzipdoc acts as a data processor within the meaning of Article 28 GDPR. A Data Processing Agreement (DPA) is available on request.
What percentage of EU businesses use electronic signatures?
According to the European Commission (2023), more than 60% of EU businesses use some form of electronic signature. In Slovakia, adoption is slightly lower but growing at approximately 18% year-on-year (source: Slovak Business Agency, 2023).
What is eIDAS 2.0 and when does it take effect?
eIDAS 2.0 (EU Regulation 2024/1183) extends the original regulation by introducing the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW). Member states must make the wallet available within 24 months of the regulation entering into force — approximately mid-2026.