Introduction to eIDAS certificates

Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services (eIDAS) qualified certificates are digital certificates that verify the identity of a person or organization and enable trusted electronic transactions throughout the European Union (EU).

Sectigo offers qualified certificates for electronic signatures, electronic seals, and website authentication. This documentation provides partners with information about available certificate products, requirements, enrollment options, and lifecycle management.

Established by Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, the eIDAS framework defines standardized requirements for electronic identification, signatures, seals, and website authentication. As a qualified trust service provider (QTSP), Sectigo issues qualified certificates and provides compliant trust services that support legally recognized electronic transactions across EU member states.

eIDAS qualified certificates are used to:

  • Sign documents (individuals)

  • Seal documents (organizations)

  • Secure websites (TLS/SSL)

  • Support identification and authentication in PSD2/Open Banking API communications (regulated payment service providers)

These certificates help ensure the authenticity and integrity of electronic signatures, seals, and website communications.

Certificate types and Sectigo offerings

eIDAS defines three types of qualified certificates. Sectigo provides products for each type:

  • Signature certificates (individuals) — Used by individuals to create electronic signatures. Electronic signatures authenticate the signer’s identity, confirm the integrity of signed data, and provide evidence that the signer approved the contents of a document.

    • Citizen Qualified Certificate

    • Employee Qualified Certificate

      Under eIDAS, electronic signatures can be either advanced or qualified:

      • An advanced electronic signature (AdES) is uniquely linked to the signer, capable of identifying the signer, and linked to signed data in a way that allows any subsequent changes to be detected.

      • A qualified electronic signature (QES) is an advanced electronic signature created using a qualified signature creation device (QSCD) and based on a qualified certificate for electronic signatures.

  • Seal certificates (organizations) — Used by organizations (legal persons) to create electronic seals. An electronic seal is data in electronic form that is attached to or logically associated with other data in electronic form to ensure the latter’s origin and integrity.

    • Seal Qualified Certificate

    • PSD2 Seal Certificates

      Under eIDAS, electronic seals can be either advanced or qualified:

      • An advanced electronic seal provides assurance of the document’s origin and integrity and is linked to the issuing organization.

      • A qualified electronic seal is an advanced electronic seal created using a QSCD and based on a qualified certificate for electronic seals.

  • Qualified Website Authentication Certificates (QWACs) — TLS/SSL certificates for legal person that secure websites and communications while binding a verified identity to a domain name. This does not concern PSD2 QWAC certificates explained below.

    • QWAC Legal

    • QWAC Legal Multi-Domain

      QWACs are available for legal entities and may also be issued as multi-domain certificates.

    • Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) QWAC — Certificates for identification and authentication of regulated payment service providers in Open Banking/API communications between banks and third parties:

      • QWAC Legal for PSD2

      • QWAC Legal for PSD2 Multi-Domain

Seals and signature certificates may be issued on qualified signature creation devices (QSCDs) or non-qualified devices, depending on the required level of assurance.

Trust and supported applications

Sectigo’s qualified certificate issuance services are listed in the EU Trusted Lists (EUTL), enabling certificates issued under those services to be recognized as qualified across EU member states.

Sectigo qualified signature and seal certificates are also recognized by Adobe Acrobat through the Adobe Approved Trust List (AATL), allowing signatures and seals created with these certificates to be recognized as trusted.

eIDAS signature and seal certificates can be used to sign documents in formats including:

  • Adobe Acrobat (PDFs)

  • Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

  • LibreOffice and OpenOffice (ODF files)

Additional resources