What is a QTSP under eIDAS?

A QTSP (Qualified Trust Service Provider) is an organisation that has been audited and approved by a national supervisory body in an EU member state to issue qualified trust services under the eIDAS Regulation. QTSPs are listed on national Trusted Lists, which are published under Article 22 of eIDAS. Qualified trust services include qualified electronic signatures, qualified electronic seals, and qualified electronic timestamps. Only a QTSP can issue a qualified timestamp that carries the legal presumption of Art. 41(2). That means accurate date and time, admissible in all EU courts without further proof. Swiss Trust Layer partners with a QTSP on the EU Trusted List to issue eIDAS-equivalent qualified electronic timestamps.

How is a QTSP different from a regular electronic signature provider?

Any software company can offer electronic signatures. A click-to-sign service or email confirmation technically constitutes a simple electronic signature under eIDAS Art. 3(10). A QTSP, by contrast, has been subject to conformity assessment by an accredited auditor and listed on an EU national Trusted List. This means QTSP-issued services carry specific legal presumptions under eIDAS: qualified signatures are presumed equivalent to handwritten signatures (Art. 25), qualified seals presumptively protect document integrity (Art. 35), and qualified timestamps presumptively prove the date and time of data (Art. 41). Non-QTSP providers cannot offer these legal presumptions regardless of their technology.

Does Switzerland have its own equivalent of a QTSP?

Yes. Under ZertES (SR 943.03), Switzerland has an accreditation system for Recognised Certification Services (Anerkannte Zertifizierungsdienste / Services de certification reconnus). The Swiss regulatory body (OFCOM/BAKOM) accredits these providers under a framework equivalent to the EU's QTSP regime. Swiss-issued qualified electronic timestamps from a recognised provider carry legal weight under Swiss law. Swiss Trust Layer uses a service provider recognised under both ZertES and eIDAS-equivalent standards, ensuring timestamps are valid in both Switzerland and EU member states.

Where can I find the official EU Trusted List of QTSPs?

The European Commission maintains the official EU Trusted Lists Browser at the European Commission's Trust Services Dashboard. Each EU member state publishes its own national Trusted List, and the Commission aggregates these into a single machine-readable list. You can search by country and service type (electronic signature, seal, timestamp) to find QTSPs for any specific need. For Switzerland, BAKOM (Federal Office of Communications) maintains the list of recognised certification services. Only providers on these lists can issue qualified trust services under eIDAS or ZertES.

What happens if I use a non-QTSP timestamp service for IP protection?

A timestamp from a non-QTSP service is a simple or advanced electronic timestamp. It may be technically accurate but does not carry the legal presumption of eIDAS Art. 41(2). This means that if you rely on it in a court proceeding, the other party can challenge its accuracy and you must prove the timestamp's reliability with additional evidence. Non-QTSP services also vary widely in how they store audit trails and whether they can produce evidence that would survive legal scrutiny. For IP protection, where your goal is to prove creation date in a future dispute, only a QTSP-issued qualified timestamp provides an unchallenged legal presumption.

Standards Compliance

Qu'est-ce qu'un QTSP? Pourquoi votre prestataire de signature doit figurer sur la liste de l'UE

Philipp Stuppnik · Co-Founder & IP Strategy

3 juin 2026 7 min de lectureDernière mise à jour 8 septembre 2026

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In short

Un Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) est un prestataire supervisé par un État membre de l'UE et inscrit sur la liste de confiance nationale. Seuls les QTSP peuvent délivrer des signatures électroniques qualifiées eIDAS bénéficiant de la présomption légale. Voici ce qu'il faut vérifier.

En avril 2025, une avocate specialisee en propriete intellectuelle basee a Zurich a recu un appel qu'elle n'attendait pas. Son client, une entreprise pharmaceutique de taille moyenne, avait soumis un accord de licence a un tribunal federal allemand. La partie adverse a conteste la signature numerique: il s'agissait d'une signature electronique avancee d'une plateforme SaaS, et non d'une signature qualifiee d'un prestataire inscrit sur la liste de confiance de l'UE. Le juge a demande au conseil du client de prouver la validite de la signature. Ils n'ont pas pu le faire. L'accord a ete declare irrecevable en tant que document constitutif.

C'est la consequence pratique d'une distinction que la plupart des entreprises apprennent trop tard. Toutes les signatures numeriques n'ont pas le meme poids juridique en droit de l'UE. Une signature numerique creee par une application grand public ou un outil de signature SaaS peut etre cryptographiquement valide, mais elle ne beneficie d'aucune presomption legale devant les tribunaux de l'UE si elle n'a pas ete emise par un prestataire de services de confiance qualifie (QTSP) inscrit sur la liste de confiance nationale d'un Etat membre de l'UE.

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