Signature levels on Agrello platform

The digital signature world can be confusing as it involves different technical requirements and levels of security. In Europe we have a regulation in place that aims to establish a unified framework to enable secure cross-border electronic transactions and it’s called the Regulation on electronic identification and trust services, but everyone calls it eIDAS. This article will give you an overview of the different levels of digital signatures according to eIDAS and which of these can you use on Agrello platform.

Levels of digital signatures

Here is the list, starting with the lowest level of digital signatures according to eIDAS:

  1. Other electronic signatures  or also referred to as Simple Electronic Signatures (SES) – all other electronic signatures that do not meet valid standards. This could be your name at the end of an email.
  2. AdES  (Advanced Electronic Signature) – The signature meets the technological requirements established in standards, but the background of the holder of the certificate used to give the signature as well as the background of the issuer of the certificate may be unknown.
  3. AdES/QC –  Advanced Electronic Signature with a Qualified Certificate. The signature meets the technological requirements established in standards. The backgrounds of both the owner of the signature and the issuer of the certificate are checked.
  4. QES (Qualified Electronic Signature) - The highest level of e-signatures, which is equal to handwritten signatures. The signature meets the technological requirements established in standards. The backgrounds of both the owner of the signature and the issuer of the certificate are checked. Additionally, the signature is given with approved means (ID-cards, digital IDs, Mobile-IDs and qualified Smart-ID accounts in Estonia.)

Options on Agrello platform

At Agrello we support two levels of digital signatures:

  1. Simple Electronic Signatures. After creating an account on Agrello platform and validating your email address you can immediately start giving Simple level electronic signatures. These are suitable for most common business agreements and enable you to sign a document with a counter-party that does not have means to give a qualified signature.
  2. Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES). In the Baltics you can use Smart-ID, Mobile-ID or ID-card on Agrello platform to give the highest level of digital signatures. ID-card-based signing is available for users in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Croatia, and Belgium. This addition expands our range of secure qualified signature options, enabling ID-card holders from these countries to sign documents seamlessly.

NB! Keep in mind that:

  • A PDF document can be signed with either Agrello signature or any other supported means of a Qualified Signature - Smart-ID, Mobile-ID, ID-card.
  • An ASIC container can only be signed with Qualified Signature methods - Smart-ID, Mobile-ID, ID-card.

In this article