Electronic signature

If your company conducts transactions through the Internet, this often requires digital identification. If you conduct business with Dutch government organisations, you have to use eRecognition (eHerkenning). In other cases, an electronic or digital signature may be required. The signature can be used to inform your client that you are the legitimate sender.

Characteristic electronic signature

An electronic signature is an electronic version of a handwritten signature. It consists of electronic data which you send along with a digital document. There is a difference between a regular electronic signature and a qualified electronic signature.

Qualified electronic signatures

Qualified electronic signatures have a qualified certificate. Certification service providers issue these certificates. These signatures are always legally valid. Companies offering a qualified electronic signature must be on the Trusted Service List (TSL), see also this European Commission list of trusted service providers. In the Netherlands, certification service providers are checked by the Consumer and Market Authority (Autoriteit Consument en Markt, ACM).