When choosing an electronic signature, it is important to find the right balance between legal validity, evidentiary value, user experience, the level of signer identification and technical implementation.
The strongest option is not always the most practical. And the fastest option is not always sufficient for every document.
That is why it helps to understand what SES, AES and QES actually mean.
The eIDAS Regulation governs electronic identification and trust services in the European Union, including electronic signatures. The European Commission distinguishes between three levels of electronic signature:
A Simple Electronic Signature is the most basic form of electronic signature.
It can be an electronic confirmation, a click, entering a name, a confirmation step or another piece of electronic data associated with the document or the signer’s action.
SES is suitable for lower-risk processes where the main priority is a quick confirmation of the signer’s intent and stricter identity verification is not required.
Typical use cases:
SES is the simplest to use, but it generally provides less direct evidentiary value than an Advanced or Qualified Electronic Signature.
An Advanced Electronic Signature goes a step further.
AES must be uniquely linked to the signer, make it possible to identify them, be created using signature creation data that the signer uses under their control, and be linked to the signed data in a way that makes any subsequent changes detectable.
Put simply, AES is more than just “I clicked”. It creates a stronger link between the person, the act of signing and the document.
It is suitable for processes where you need a higher level of assurance, but QES is not necessarily required.
Typical use cases:
AES often offers a good balance between security, legal value and user experience.
A Qualified Electronic Signature is the highest level of electronic signature under eIDAS.
QES is based on a qualified digital certificate and must be created using a qualified electronic signature creation device. Qualified certificates are issued by Qualified Trust Service Providers (QTSPs) listed on the relevant trusted lists of EU Member States.
The key advantage of QES is clear: it has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature.
QES therefore makes sense where documents require the highest level of legal certainty, signer identification and evidentiary value.
Typical use cases:
QES provides the highest level of assurance, but usually involves a few more steps for the user. It therefore makes most sense where that additional level of assurance justifies a slightly more involved process.
Each higher level is subject to stricter requirements than the previous one.
Importantly, an electronic signature cannot be denied legal effect simply because it is in electronic form. Under eIDAS, a Qualified Electronic Signature, or QES, has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature.
In practice, this means there is no single e-signature solution for every situation. Instead, there are several options that should be matched to the right business scenario.
When choosing an e-signature, the goal is not always to select the strongest option.
The goal is to choose the right one.
If the process is too complicated, signers may delay, contact support or fail to complete the signing process altogether. If the signing method is not strong enough for a particular document, it can create risks around evidence, compliance or document acceptance.
That is why the choice should take into account:
So the real question is not simply: “Do we need QES?”
The real question is: When do we need QES, when is AES sufficient, and when is SES perfectly suitable?
BetrSign supports a range of signing scenarios, allowing the signature type to be matched to the specific process.
With cloud-based signing, the certificate can be used without being installed locally on the signer’s device. This is particularly useful for remote signing, where the goal is to reduce technical friction and provide the smoothest possible user experience.
BetrSign supports several ways to implement this type of signing scenario.
If the certificate is hosted on BetrSign infrastructure and supports different levels of authentication, the ClickSign solution can be used.
eIDAS terminology: SES or AES, depending on the issuer’s KYC practices
BetrSign terminology: BetrSign:
Click2Sign
If a qualified digital certificate is stored in the cloud with a third-party provider, such as SI-PASS, Halcom One or Fina Cloud, the process can meet the requirements for an Advanced or Qualified Electronic Signature, depending on the certificate type and the specific signing scenario.
eIDAS terminology: AES or QES, depending on the certificate type
BetrSign terminology: Click2Sign with a qualified soft certificate or QES Click2Sign, depending on the certificate type
This is particularly useful for business partners who want to enable remote signing without additional local software or physical devices, while maintaining the appropriate level of legal validity and signer identification.
In some processes, signers already use a qualified digital certificate stored locally, for example in a browser, on a USB key, smart card or electronic ID card.
This is suitable for processes where an organization wants to use its existing digital certificate infrastructure and enable secure electronic signing without changing the way signers already work.
If the signer has a qualified digital certificate stored locally in the browser, such as SIGEN-CA or Halcom p12, signing can be performed with the support of the SETCCE proXSign®.
Under eIDAS terminology, this signing scenario is classified as an Advanced Electronic Signature.
eIDAS terminology: AES
BetrSign terminology: BetrSign: Click2Sign with a qualified soft certificate
If the signer has a qualified digital certificate stored on a qualified electronic signature creation device, such as a USB key, smart card or ID card, BetrSign can also support a Qualified Electronic Signature.
This type of signing is supported by SETCCE proXSign® or the SETCCE BetrSign mobile app for the Slovenian electronic ID card, eID.
eIDAS terminology: QES
BetrSign terminology: QES Click2Sign
This option is particularly suitable for organizations that require the highest level of legal certainty in their processes while allowing users to sign with digital certificates they already have.
BetrSign also supports the capture and digitization of biometric handwritten electronic signatures. The signer signs the document using a signing device, such as a Wacom signature pad or another mobile device, while the system captures the electronic signature along with additional biometric data.
This can include, for example, pressure, coordinates and the timing of the signature. Each signature is additionally protected with a digital seal based on a qualified certificate of the provider or customer, installed on the BetrSign infrastructure.
eIDAS terminology: SES or AES
BetrSign terminology: Biometric handwritten e-signature
This approach is particularly useful in physical branches, points of sale, reception areas, bank branches or other customer touchpoints where you want to replace paper signatures with digital ones without completely changing the familiar user experience.
If you want to integrate electronic signing into your product, service or business process, QES is not just a feature. It is part of a broader signing scenario.
It is important to understand:
Based on this, you can choose the right combination of signature type, identification, authentication and technical integration.
For some processes, QES will make the most sense. For others, AES may offer a better balance between evidentiary value and simplicity. And for lower-risk processes, SES may be entirely sufficient.
BetrSign supports different types of electronic signatures, including QES, and adapts to specific business, technical and user requirements.
Whether you are developing a solution, managing document workflows or want to enable secure electronic signing for your users, we can help you choose the right signing scenario.
Book a short call to see how QES can fit into your processes.
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