What is Qualified Electronic Signature (QES)?

The highest tier of electronic signature under eIDAS, legally equivalent to a handwritten signature in every EU member state.

A Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) is an Advanced Electronic Signature (AdES) that is backed by a Qualified Certificate issued by a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) and created using a Qualified Signature Creation Device (QSCD). QES carries the strongest legal presumption in the EU and UK: it is automatically equivalent to a wet-ink signature, with no need to prove validity at trial. Most cross-border B2B contracts do not require QES, SES or AdES is enough, but transactions where the law mandates written form (certain real-estate, family-law, notarial acts) need QES.

Drop your document here and sign it now. PDF, Word and Excel all work: a .docx or .xlsx is laid out in your browser exactly as it was written, so there is nothing to convert first. Add a signature, a date, a company stamp or a watermark, then download it sealed. Free to start, no account, and the file is never uploaded to open it.

How QES differs from AdES

AdES already provides signer identification, unique linkage, tamper-detection, and signer control. QES adds two requirements: the certificate must be issued by an EU-listed Qualified Trust Service Provider, and the signing key must be stored on a Qualified Signature Creation Device (typically a hardware token or a secure cloud HSM).

Cost trade-off

QES requires identity verification at issuance (typically video-ID or in-person), so per-signature costs are higher (~€5-€15). For high-volume signing where QES isn't legally required, SES or AdES is much more economical with identical contract enforceability.

When you need QES

EU/UK transactions involving: real-estate transfers (in some jurisdictions), notarized contracts, signing on behalf of a deceased person, certain corporate-registry filings, and any contract where the statute uses the words "written form" or "qualified signature".

What PDF Verified is, and what it is not

PDF Verified is a tool for preparing, signing, stamping and checking documents. It is not a law firm, a compliance service or a forensic examiner, and nothing here is legal, financial or compliance advice. Requirements differ by country, by document type and by the party asking, so check what applies to your document before you rely on it, and take advice where the document matters. You are responsible for the documents you create, sign and send, and for having the authority to do so: signing or stamping in somebody else name, or as an organisation you do not represent, is forgery whatever tool is used. To the extent the law allows, we accept no liability for how a document made with this tool is used or relied on. The full position is in our terms of service.