eIDAS, electronic IDentification, Authentication and trust Services, is the EU regulation covering electronic signatures and the providers that issue them. It's a regulation, not a directive, so it applies directly in every member state without each country reinterpreting it.
What that buys you: a signature valid under eIDAS in one member state has to be recognised in all of them. An Austrian company and a Portuguese supplier can sign the same document without arguing about whose national rules win.
The three levels
| Level | What it takes | swipesign |
|---|---|---|
| SES | Any electronic mark showing intent | Not offered: see why |
| AES | Uniquely linked to a verified signer, under their sole control, tamper-evident | Supported |
| QES | An AES plus a qualified certificate from a qualified trust service provider | Supported |
Only QES is automatically equivalent to a handwritten signature across the EU. AES is admissible and evidenced, but it doesn't shift the burden of proof. See AES and QES explained.
What eIDAS requires of us
A signer's identity has to be verified before a qualified certificate is issued, and that check has to be done by a qualified trust service provider on the EU Trusted List. Not by us. swipesign runs the signing process and hands the identity step to providers who hold that status.
That's why your signers hit an identity check, and why we can't switch it off for you. See What identity verification is and why it's required.