Qualified Electronic Signature (QES)

Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) provides the highest level of assurance for electronically signed documents and is fully compliant with eIDAS regulations across the European Union. It ensures robust identity verification through certified Trust Service Providers (TSPs) such as Evrotrust, making signed documents legally binding and highly secure.

By enabling QES in your BoldSign Business Profile, the feature becomes available for use when creating documents and templates. QES is available to users on Business or higher-tier plans and is billed at $3 per verification attempt under the Pay-As-You-Go model.

Enable QES in Business Profile

• Expand the Settings menu and select the Business Profile option to go the Business profile page.
• On the Business Profile page, under the Settings tab, scroll down and you will see the Qualified electronic signature (QES) option.

• By default, the Qualified electronic signature (QES) feature is disabled for all users. If you attempt to enable it without having purchased the required add-on, a dialog box will appear. If the add-on is available in your account, the feature will be enabled automatically.

• Click the Contact Support button in the dialog box, and you will be redirected to the Contact Us page where you can fill out the form and submit it.
• The support team will review your request and enable the feature afterward.
• After enabling the QES option, a Number of verification attempts text box will be displayed.

• Set the verification attempts for signing documents, then click the Save changes button to apply your settings.

Enable QES while creating a document

• Click on Create New and select the Create New Document option.
• You will be directed to the Prepare document for signing page. Upload files on the Add file(s) section and add recipients.
• Click the dropdown arrow on the recipients Settings and enable the Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) option.

• If the Pay-As-You-Go QES option is deactivated, the Activate link will be displayed next to the QES option. This Activate option is only visible to the Admin of your account.
• Click the Activate link to activate the QES feature.

• A dialog box will appear. Read the instructions and click the Enable button.

• Once activated, you can enable the QES option.
• If the budget limit is exceeded, an Upgrade option will be displayed. Click the Upgrade link and you will be redirected to the subscription page, where you can adjust your QES budget limit as needed.

• Fill in any other required fields and click the Next button to proceed to the Configure fields page.
• On the configure fields page, drag and drop the required form fields onto the document and send for signature.

• You can also enable the QES option when creating a template.

Limitations for QES configuration

• Only one signer per document can have QES enabled.
• Document size limit is 30MB.
• For multiple signers, QES must be assigned to the last signer with a signing order enabled.
• QES cannot be used if the last signer shares the same signing order as another signer.
• QES is not available for self-signing, reviewers, or group signers.
• The combine audit trail option is not supported when QES is enabled. The audit trail will be downloaded separately, even if the option is enabled.

Signing of a QES document

To complete QES signing, the signer must:

1. Download the Evrotrust app: Download for Android | Download for iOS
2. Complete the registration process.

After completing the Evrotrust registration process:

• Click the signature request link received via email.

• Then check the checkbox to agree to the Electronic Signature Disclosure Terms and click the Continue button.

• You will be directed to the Signing page. Fill in the required fields and click the Verify button to proceed.

• A dialog box appears prompting identity verification via Personal ID, Mobile Number or Email.

• If you select Personal ID Verification, you must enter their national or personal identification number as defined by your country’s standards. Evrotrust will cross-check this information against its database. Once the ID is successfully validated, you can proceed to sign the document using the Evrotrust mobile app.
• If you select Mobile Number Verification, you must enter the mobile number associated with your Evrotrust account. A verification request will be sent to the Evrotrust mobile app on your device. You must approve this request within the app to continue with the signing process.
• If you select Email Verification, you must enter their registered email address. A verification request will be sent to the Evrotrust mobile app. You must open the app and approve the request to complete the signing.
• After verification, you will be redirected to a processing dialog which displays a timer, verification ID, transaction ID and a Withdraw Request link.
• The Withdraw request link allows you to cancel the signing request, preventing the signer from signing the document. For instance, if the document was sent to you by mistake, you can use the Withdraw request link to stop the signing process.

• If you choose to proceed with signing, you will receive a notification on your Evrotrust mobile app prompting you to sign the document.
• Tap Sign for free to complete the signing process.

• If the signer does not complete verification within 30 minutes, the session will expire and must be restarted.
• Once approved in the app, the document is digitally signed, and the signer is redirected to BoldSign’s signing completion page.

• The document will be marked as Signed.

• The final document will include digital signatures that verify the signature as a valid Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) under EU regulations.
• The certificate details under the signature details provide proof of the document’s integrity through timestamping and encryption, ensuring it has not been tampered with and complies with eIDAS and other legal standards.

Downloading the audit trail

• Click the Documents menu and select the My Documents option.
• On the My Documents page, click the Context menu and select the Download audit trail option.

• The downloaded audit trail will include comprehensive information, including confirmation that the Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) has been completed.

Cancel verification due to incorrect identity submission

If you want to cancel the verification process:

• Click the Withdraw Request button.

• A confirmation dialog box will open. Confirm the withdrawal of the current verification attempt.

• Once withdrawn, the verification process is stopped and no QES signing will occur.
• The signer can restart the process using the original document link.

Account Not Found

If no Evrotrust account matches the provided details, the signer will be redirected to an Account Not Found dialog.
What to do:

• Click the Retry button to return to the document signing page.
• Click the Verifybutton again to be redirected to the verification page.
• Double-check that the mobile number, ID, or email address you entered is correct.
• Retry the verification using the corrected information.
• If the issue continues, confirm that you are properly registered and your identity is verified within the Evrotrust mobile app.