What is a qualified certificate?

Under the eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, a qualified certificate for electronic signatures refers to “a certificate for electronic signatures, that is issued by a qualified trust service provider” and meets the requirements specified within the regulation.

According to the requirements listed in Annex I of eIDAS, qualified certificates for electronic signatures must contain:

• An indication that is identifiable through automated processing that the certificate is a qualified certificate for electronic signatures
  
  
• A data set that clearly represents the qualified trust service provider who issued the qualified certificate, including such information as the: 
  • Service provider’s Member State where the entity is established
  • Name and registration number if the provider is a legal person
  • Name of the provider if he or she is a natural person
    
    
• Name of the signatory or indication if a pseudonym is used
  
  
• Corresponding electronic signature validation data and electronic signature creation data
  
  
• Information identifying the certificate’s period of validity from start to finish
  
  
• Qualified trust service provider’s unique certificate identity code
  
  
• Issuing qualified trust service provider’s advanced electronic signature or electronic seal
  
  
• Location of where the certificate that supports the advanced electronic signature is available free of charge
  
  
• An indication, preferably in automated processing form, of where the electronic signature creation data associated to the electronic signature validation data is located in the qualified electronic signature creation device.

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