Qualified digital certificate

Under the context of Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS), a qualified digital certificate is a public key certificate issued by a qualified trust service provider that ensures the authenticity and data integrity of an electronic signature and its accompanying message and/or attached data.

eIDAS defines several tiers of electronic signatures that can be used in conducting public sector and private transactions within and across the borders of EU Member states. A qualified digital certificate, in addition to other specific services provided by a qualified trust service provider are required to elevate the status of an electronic signature to that of being considered a qualified electronic signature. Using cryptography, the digital certificate, also known as a public key certificate, contains information to link it to its owner and the digital signature of the trust entity that verifies the authenticity of the content that has been signed.

According to eIDAS, to be considered a qualified digital certificate, the certificate must meet the requirements provided in Annex I of Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, including, but not limited to:

The need for non-repudiation and authentication of electronic signatures was originally addressed in the Electronic Signatures Directive 1999/93/EC to help facilitate secure transactions, specifically those that occur across the borders of EU Member states. The eIDAS Regulation later replaced the Directive and defined the standards to be used in the creation of qualified digital certificates by trust service providers.

A qualified digital certificate can only be issued by a qualified trust service provider that has received authorization from their Member state’s supervisory body to provide qualified trust services for creating qualified electronic signatures. The provider must be listed upon the EU Trust List; otherwise, they are not permitted to provide qualified digital certificates or other qualified trust services. The trust service provider is required to abide by the guidelines established under eIDAS for creating qualified digital certificate, which include:

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