Digital transformation has brought numerous advantages to the business world: efficiency, agility, productivity, connectivity… A key element in this has been the digital signature. However, in this new technological landscape, there are different types of digital signatures with their own characteristics, applications, and security levels. Therefore, if you are looking for efficient and secure solutions for your business, it is essential that you know what types of digital signatures exist, their differences with the electronic signature and the legal requirements that must be met in Spain to apply it to your e-invoices. Precisely what we explain to you in this article.
What is it and what types of digital signatures exist?
Technically, the digital signature is an authentication mechanism that uses cryptographic algorithms to guarantee the integrity and authenticity of a document. In Spain, at a practical level, the digital signature is frequently used in digital invoicing processes, contracts, and other important documents.
Likewise, there are several types of digital signatures, each with its own level of security and depending on the type of documents it is applied to. Likewise, we could establish three categories:
Simple electronic signature
We understand a simple electronic signature as any type of digital signature that identifies the signatory and demonstrates their intention to sign the document. Therefore, this category can include anything from a simple acceptance click on a website to a signature on a touch screen.
- Security: low level. It is not considered sufficient for documents of high legal value.
- Applications: low-risk contracts or online policy consents.
Advanced electronic signature
This type of signature adds some additional authentication elements to the simple one, such as the use of biometric data or two-factor authentication. It is able to identify the signer and allows you to verify if the document has been altered.
- Security: medium level. It provides greater security than a simple signature, although it is still insufficient for certain highly sensitive documents in legal terms.
- Applications: signatures on medium-level contracts, such as internal agreements or expense authorizations.
Qualified electronic signature
Thirdly, the qualified electronic signature is the most secure type of digital signature with the highest legal validity in the European Union. For its use you will need a digital certificate issued by an accredited entity and a secure signature creation device. For example, cryptographic hardware.
- Security: high level. Legally equivalent to a handwritten signature and guarantees the authenticity of the document.
- Applications: legal documents, high-value contracts, official procedures, and any document requiring maximum security and legal validity.
Comparison of digital signature types
To highlight these differences between the various types of digital signatures, this comparative table is a very useful and visual tool, as it gathers and summarizes each one:
Differences between electronic signature and digital signature
The truth is that it is common to use the terms digital signature and electronic signature interchangeably. However, this is a mistake, as these two concepts actually have important differences.
- Electronic signature: is a broad term that encompasses different methods of electronic authentication. It ranges from the most basic level of verification to advanced levels, such as the recognized or qualified electronic signature.
- Digital signature: is a specific type of electronic signature that relies on asymmetric cryptography to ensure the authenticity and security of documents. In other words, the digital signature is closely related to the use of a digital certificate, which verifies the signatory’s identity through cryptographic keys.
In Spain, qualified electronic signatures are the only ones considered legally equivalent to a handwritten signature. That is, those that comply with the requirements of the European regulation eIDAS (EU Regulation No 910/2014), which regulates digital identification and authentication in the European Union.
Requirements for the use of digital signatures in Spain
However, to guarantee the security and legal validity of electronically signed documents, there are some legal requirements you must meet if you use digital signatures.
Authorized digital certificate
Fundamentally, qualified electronic signatures must have a digital certificate issued by an Certification Authority (CA) recognized, such as the National Mint and Stamp Factory (FNMT). This certificate guarantees the authenticity of the signatory’s identity.
Secure signature creation device
In turn, the qualified electronic signature requires a specific device, such as a cryptographic card or a USB token. With it, the signature is made securely, ensuring that only the certificate holder can sign the document.
Compliance with eIDAS regulation
Furthermore, all qualified electronic signatures must comply with the aforementioned eIDAS regulation. This way, common principles are followed in the EU that facilitate the recognition and validity of signatures across different member states.
Certificate Maintenance and Updates
Finally, digital certificates have a limited validity period and must be renewed periodically to maintain their validity. Therefore, companies must be aware of expiration dates and manage the update of these certificates to avoid authentication problems in signed documents.
How to Implement a Digital Signature in a Company?
Regarding how to implement a digital signature system in your company, the first step is to select the type of signature that best suits you.That is, to your security needs and the legal aspects you need to comply with.
Above all, our recommendation is to use a document management software. With this type of solution, such as easyap, you can integrate digital signatures into your documents quickly and securely. This way, you delegate invoicing and business document management functions to the software.
In fact, although we are not a specific document management software, we do offer this functionality and many others. Furthermore, using a system like easyap’s for your integrated digital signatures offers you very interesting benefits for all your business management. Without further ado, here are some of them:
- Time and Resource Savings. Digital signatures streamline your business processes by eliminating printing, manual signatures, and document scanning.
- Increased Security and Fraud Protection. Advanced digital signature systems like ours provide you with the highest levels of security, making any attempt at alteration difficult.
- Legal Validity and Regulatory Compliance. Qualified electronic signatures comply with the European eIDAS regulation, which guarantees the validity of your signatures and their recognition throughout the European Union.
- Better control and monitoring. These digital systems give you the ability to audit and track every signed document. This is essential for companies that handle a large volume of files.
Ultimately, knowing the different types of digital signatures helps you make informed decisions about how to manage the authentication of your documents.However, each is more or less secure and valid, depending on the scenario and the needs of each company.
It’s clear that to ensure security and legal compliance in large-scale business environments, digital signatures and digital certificates are already vital and a reality. But they will be even more so in the future.
For this very reason, now is the time to study and implement solutions like easyap. Business software that facilitates this integration of digital signatures into your business. Contact us and we’ll tell you more.
