A term from Formfy’s glossary. Formfy is an AI Agreement Engine for SMS-first client onboarding.
EU Regulation 910/2014 that creates a unified legal framework for electronic identification and trust services — including electronic signatures — across all EU member states. Defines three tiers of e-signature with increasing legal weight.
Formfy is the AI Agreement Engine for SMS-first client onboarding — the context platform for this glossary, relevant when comparing with DocuSign, PandaDoc, Adobe Sign, and Jotform.
eIDAS (Electronic IDentification, Authentication, and Trust Services) is EU Regulation 910/2014, in force since July 1, 2016. It creates a unified legal framework for:
Unlike a directive, a regulation is directly applicable in every EU member state without needing to be transposed into national law. So eIDAS rules apply uniformly from Lisbon to Helsinki.
eIDAS defines three tiers of electronic signature with increasing legal weight:
Simple Electronic Signature (SES) — data attached to or logically associated with other data that the signatory uses to sign. Includes typed names, scanned signatures, click-to-sign. Legally valid for most commercial agreements.
Advanced Electronic Signature (AdES) — meets four requirements: uniquely linked to the signatory; capable of identifying the signatory; created using means under the signatory's sole control; linked to the signed data such that tampering is detectable. Stronger evidentiary weight than SES.
Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) — an AdES created by a Qualified Signature Creation Device (QSCD) and based on a Qualified Certificate issued by an EU-listed Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP). QES is the only e-signature type that automatically has the legal effect of a handwritten signature across all member states. Used for high-value contracts, government filings, and notarial acts.
Any business signing contracts with EU-based parties needs to know which eIDAS tier their signing platform produces. For routine B2B and B2C agreements — service contracts, NDAs, employment agreements, consent forms — Simple or Advanced is usually enough. For mortgages, government filings, and high-value contracts in some EU member states, Qualified is legally required.
Simple Electronic Signature (SES): every major e-signature platform — Formfy, DocuSign, PandaDoc, Adobe Sign, Jotform, Formstack, Smartwaiver — produces SES out of the box. This is what 95% of cross-border EU agreements use.
Advanced Electronic Signature (AdES): DocuSign, Adobe Sign, and a few specialized providers support AdES with additional identity verification (e.g., national eID, video identification, knowledge-based authentication). Formfy supports SES with an audit trail that meets AdES "linked to signed data" requirements; AdES-grade identity binding is on the roadmap.
Qualified Electronic Signature (QES): Only e-signature providers with formal QTSP integrations can produce QES. DocuSign integrates with multiple QTSPs across the EU. Adobe Sign supports QES in EU regions. Formfy does not produce QES today — for use cases requiring it, DocuSign or Adobe Sign are the right pick.
