Legality

eIDAS is the short name for the legal framework that governs e-signatures, identity schemes, and trust services for all European Union (EU) member states. eIDAS defines two categories of e-signatures: (1) qualified and (2) non-qualified however use cases for different types of signatures may vary per EU member state. eIDAS has also inspired many laws around the world.

ZertES is the Swiss legal framework that regulates the quality and issuance of digital certificates and requirements for trust service providers (like DigiCert​​®​​) operating in Switzerland. ZertES is similar to eIDAS because and includes three categories of e-signatures: qualified, regulated, and non-qualified.

UK eIDAS is the legal framework that went into effect after the United Kingdom withdrew from the EU. There’s a balance between eIDAS and UK eIDAS and Qualified Trust Service Providers (QTSP) certified in the EU (like DigiCert​​®​​) recognized by the UK.

49 states, Washington D.C., and the United States Virgin Islands have adopted The Federal ESIGN Act and Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA). It governs the use of digital documents and e-signatures. However, neither law defines a tiered structure for e-signature types nor use cases for digital signatures.