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SES, AES or QES.
Pick the signature level your document actually needs.

What is a qualified electronic signature?

A qualified electronic signature, or QES, is the highest of the three signature levels defined by eIDAS in the EU and ZertES in Switzerland. It is created with a qualified certificate after the signer's identity has been verified, and the law treats it like a handwritten signature.

Most documents do not need one. When the question is what a file contained at a point in time rather than who committed to it, a qualified timestamp answers it on its own. This page walks you to the right choice.

Start a qualified signature Check a signed document

eIDAS explained ZertES explained Check a file now

The three signature levels in one screen

Both regimes grade electronic signatures on the same three-step ladder. The level decides what a court makes of the signature, not how it looks on the page.

SES

Simple electronic signature

Any electronic mark: a typed name, a scanned signature image, a checkbox.

Admissible as evidence, and little more. It proves almost nothing about who signed or whether the document changed afterwards.

AES

Advanced electronic signature

Uniquely linked to the signer, capable of identifying the signer, created under the signer's sole control, and bound to the document so any later change is detectable.

Solid evidence for everyday business documents. It does not stand in for a handwritten signature where the law demands one.

QES

Qualified electronic signature

An advanced signature created with a qualified signature creation device and based on a qualified certificate, issued after identity verification.

The level with handwritten equivalence, on both sides of the border.

The equivalence rests on two provisions. In the EU, eIDAS Article 25 gives a qualified electronic signature the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature. In Switzerland, OR Art. 14 para. 2bis puts a qualified electronic signature on the same footing as a handwritten one, provided it carries a qualified timestamp and comes from a provider recognised under ZertES, with differing statutory or contractual arrangements reserved.

When you need a QES, and when a timestamp is enough

The decision comes down to what the document has to prove later.

A QES is the right tool when the signature itself carries legal weight

The law attaches a written-form requirement to the document, and you want the electronic route that satisfies it.
A counterparty, regulator or internal policy demands verified signer identity, not just a name on a line.
The document commits a person: contracts, board resolutions, powers of attorney, HR agreements.

A qualified timestamp is enough when the question is what existed, and when

You need dated proof that a file existed in exactly this state: designs, source code, manuscripts, research data.
Nobody has to commit to anything. The file is the evidence, not a signature under it.
You want the proof without putting anyone through identity verification.

The timestamp route has its own legal backing. Under eIDAS Article 41(2) , a qualified electronic timestamp carries a presumption of the accuracy of its date and time and of the integrity of the data bound to it, and Article 41(1) says an electronic timestamp is not denied legal effect merely for being electronic. The file itself carries a dated record a court can work with, no signing ceremony required.

Why one seal covers both regimes

Swiss Trust Layer seals through Swisscom Trust Services, which is accredited under ZertES and operates as a qualified trust service provider under eIDAS. One sealing flow therefore produces a signature or timestamp that meets the Swiss standard and the EU standard at the same time.

To be precise about what that claim is: it is a statement about the technical standard the seal meets through Swisscom's accreditations, not a statement about where Swiss Trust Layer is present as a business.

Swiss side: recognition under ZertES, the basis the OR Art. 14 para. 2bis equivalence builds on.
EU side: qualified trust service provider status under eIDAS.
Practical effect: no second workflow, no second provider, no re-signing for the other jurisdiction.

What you receive

Every seal produces the same set of artefacts, whether it is a qualified signature or a qualified timestamp.

The sealed PDF

Your document with the signature or timestamp embedded, ready to file, send or archive.

A verifiable certificate

A record of what was sealed, when, and through which provider. It stands on its own and travels with the document.

A public check without login

Anyone you hand the document to can verify it on the public validate page, without an account and without contacting you.

Decide in one table

Find your situation in the left column. The middle column is what answers it.

Your situation	What answers it	Next step
I need to sign a contract that carries legal form requirements	Qualified electronic signature	Start a qualified signature
I need to prove I had this file at this time	Qualified timestamp	Seal the file
Several people need to sign the same document	Multi-signature workflow	Set up co-signing

Questions before you start

What makes a signature qualified rather than just electronic?

Two things: the certificate behind it is issued by a qualified provider after the signer's identity has been verified, and the signature is created with a qualified signature creation device. Both eIDAS and ZertES define the level this way, which is why it is the level with handwritten equivalence.

Is a qualified electronic signature valid in both Switzerland and the EU?

A signature sealed through a provider that holds both accreditations meets both standards in the same act. Swisscom Trust Services is recognised under ZertES and is a qualified trust service provider under eIDAS. That describes the technical standard the seal meets, not where Swiss Trust Layer operates as a business.

Do I need a QES for every document?

No. The QES level matters where the signature itself has legal weight, for example a written-form requirement. For proving that a file existed in a specific state at a specific time, a qualified timestamp does the job on its own, and under eIDAS Article 41(2) it carries a presumption of the accuracy of its date and the integrity of the sealed data.

Can other people check a sealed document without an account?

Yes. The public validate check reads the signature or timestamp in the document and reports what it finds. Whoever receives your document can run it without a login and without contacting you.

Can several people sign the same document?

Yes. A multi-signature workflow collects signatures from every party on the same document, and the finished file carries all of them. Each signer's seal is checked the same way as a single one.

Primary sources

Qualified Electronic Signature

Start with the document in front of you

Sign it at the level it needs, or seal it with a qualified timestamp. Either way you walk away with a certificate anyone can check.

Start a qualified signature

SES, AES or QES.Pick the signature level your document actually needs.