What is ZertES and who does it apply to in Switzerland?

ZertES (Swiss Federal Act on Electronic Signatures, SR 943.03) is Switzerland's national framework for qualified electronic signatures, seals, and timestamps. It applies to any organisation operating in Switzerland that uses electronic signatures for legally binding documents, including public procurement, regulated industries, and companies that contract with Swiss federal or cantonal authorities. BAKOM (Federal Office of Communications) accredits Qualified Trust Service Providers (QTSPs) under ZertES, and Swisscom Trust Services is the primary accredited QTSP.

Is ZertES equivalent to eIDAS for legal purposes?

ZertES operates at the same level of legal assurance as eIDAS Regulation (EU) 910/2014, but they are separate frameworks. ZertES is Swiss federal law, eIDAS is EU law. A qualified electronic signature under ZertES has equivalent legal effect to a handwritten signature in Switzerland. Swiss Trust Layer uses Swisscom Trust Services, which holds dual accreditation under both ZertES and eIDAS, meaning a document sealed via Swiss Trust Layer carries legal presumption under both frameworks simultaneously, across Switzerland and all 27 EU member states.

Do Swiss companies need ZertES compliance for public procurement?

Yes. Swiss federal procurement law and most cantonal procurement frameworks require qualified electronic signatures for tender submissions and contract documents above certain thresholds. The Swiss Public Procurement Act (BöB/LMP) mandates electronic processing, and qualified signatures under ZertES are the standard for legally binding submissions. Companies that use non-qualified electronic signatures (simple or advanced) for procurement documents risk those documents being deemed legally deficient.

What is the difference between a ZertES qualified seal and a notarized document?

A qualified electronic seal under ZertES creates a legal presumption that the sealed document originated from the named organisation and has not been altered since sealing, equivalent in legal effect to a traditional notary confirmation of authenticity and origin. Unlike a physical notary, a ZertES qualified seal is cryptographically verifiable by anyone at no cost, cannot be backdated, and is processed in under 2 minutes. Swiss Trust Layer's qualified seals via Swisscom Trust Services replace the need for traditional notarization in many digital document workflows.

How much does ZertES qualified electronic sealing cost?

Via Swiss Trust Layer, ZertES-compliant qualified seals and timestamps start. There are no setup fees for basic sealing. Volume-based plans and API integration are available for companies that need to seal large numbers of documents automatically. The cost per document decreases significantly at volume. Enterprise pricing is available for organisations processing thousands of documents per month.

Legal Compliance

2026年瑞士企业ZertES合规指南

Dani Wattenhofer · Business Development, Swiss Trust Layer AG

2026年6月23日 6 分钟阅读最后更新 2026年9月8日

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In short

瑞士公司在采购、银行和法院中面临ZertES SR 943.03合规义务。了解什么条件符合要求、谁必须遵守，以及如何密封文件。

2024年初，苏黎世一家信托公司（Treuhand）提交了一份超过联邦采购门槛23万瑞郎的公共基础设施项目投标。中标方案依赖一系列签署声明，全部以普通PDF格式制作，没有加盖合格电子印章。六个月后，一家竞争对手对相关文件的完整性提出异议，州级采购部门要求提供加密证明，证明声明在提交后未被修改。该公司拿不出任何证明。这一异议引发了重新评估程序，导致公司丢失合同，并支付了18万瑞郎的行政和法律费用。根据ZertES SR 943.03，来自BAKOM认可提供商的合格印章本可立即堵住这个漏洞。

这正是ZertES合规所要防止的结果。对于公共采购、金融服务、医疗保健以及涉诉业务领域的瑞士企业而言，该框架已不再是法律形式。它是具有法律效力的可辩护记录的基准线。

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