SwissSign offers a web service for digital signatures in "Standard" and "Pro" models, as well as the integration of digital signatures into your IT systems.

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The URL sign.swissid.ch takes you directly to the web service. Just log in and complete the online identification (if not already done). You can then sign immediately. The first 5 QES signatures are free for new customers.

To use the signature web service to sign with QES, you need a SwissID account with a verified identity and the SwissSign Wallet installed.

To use the signature web service for Qualified Electronic Signature (QES), you need a SwissID account with a verified identity. For signature confirmation you'll need the SwissSign Wallet fulfilling the following technical requirements:

The operating systems iOS (Version 17 or later) and Android (Version 10 or later) are supported. The manufacturer’s protective measures must not be circumvented (i.e. the device must not be ‘rooted’ or ‘jail-broken’). The mobile phone must contain a hardware-based trusted execution environment (such as ‘Secure Enclave’ on iPhone devices) that can be unlocked with biometrics (fingerprint on iOS and Android or facial recognition on iOS).

The following payment methods are available: PostFinance card, Visa, Mastercard. Payment on account is only offered for business customers.

In the signing room, you can upload PDF documents created in accordance with Adobe PDF Version 1.2 or higher. PDFs with a file size of up to 20 MB are supported.

The maximum per batch is 50 documents.

The documents are automatically deleted 30 days after completion of the signing process. You must download and save these documents on your own infrastructure if you want to continue to use or archive them.

The SwissSign Wallet is used solely to securely confirm your digital signatures as part of the process to confirm a signing request. As such, the SwissSign Wallet does not offer standalone features for signing.

When you sign with a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) for the first time, you’ll be guided within the signature process to download and set up the Wallet. After setup, the Wallet is only required when confirming your QES signatures.

To confirm a signature, either scan the QR code displayed in your desktop browser or tap Confirm in App when using your mobile browser. Both options will redirect you to the SwissSign Wallet, where you can securely approve the signature using your biometrics.

 

The SwissSign Wallet is used solely to securely confirm your digital signatures. To view your documents, simply log in to the signature service via sign.swissid.ch, which is newly also conveniently available on your mobile device.

When changing your mobile phone, you can continue using the signature web service to sign with a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES). With a new signing request, you will automatically be guided through the steps to install and set up the SwissSign Wallet, enabling you to sign with a QES on your new device.

Although both ZertES and eIDAS recognise qualified electronic signatures, their legal definitions are not identical, and each framework imposes slightly different requirements. Legally speaking, if Swiss law explicitly requires a document to be in "written form" (e.g., consumer credit contracts, certain HR documents), only a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) compliant with the Swiss ZertES standard is legally binding. An eIDAS QES does not automatically fulfill the statutory written form requirement in Switzerland unless the parties have a prior mutual agreement.

The exact same principle applies in reverse: a ZertES QES does not automatically fulfill the legal written form requirement under European Union law. For documents governed by EU law, an eIDAS QES is required.

As a result, each type of qualified electronic signature is valid within the legal framework that governs it.

The applicable law depends on your specific use case and on the internal requirements and policies of your organization (for example, where the parties are located, the legal effect you want to achieve, and which markets you operate in). The decision on which legal framework applies must be assessed and clarified internally, ideally with your legal or compliance team.

Yes, it is technically possible for one party to sign with a ZertES compliant signature and the other with an eIDAS compliant signature. Both signatures ensure that the identity of the signing person is verified and that the document remains unchanged.

In practice, however, each signature is fully recognised only within its respective legal framework – ZertES in Switzerland and eIDAS in the EU. The legal validity of the document as a whole therefore depends on the applicable law, and mixed signature types may lead to legal uncertainty.

To ensure that the signature and the document are valid in the intended legal jurisdiction, all signatories should use a signature governed by the same legal framework. It is therefore recommended to use a uniform signature standard aligned with the applicable law (either ZertES or eIDAS).

If the document must meet legal requirements both in Switzerland and in the EU, all parties should sign under both standards. With the SwissSign Signature Service, this requires two consecutive signing rounds – one per signature standard.

To check which legal framework applies to a completed signature, you can use official online validator tools. Simply upload the signed document, and the validation report will indicate the compliance level of the signature.

• For Swiss law (ZertES): You can use the Swiss Government's validator at https://www.validator.admin.ch/

• For European law (eIDAS): You can use the Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (RTR) validator at https://www.rtr.at/signaturpruefung

This usually happens when the wrong workflow was selected in the signing process. To ensure compliance, you need to make sure that the correct workflow is chosen in the signing room, corresponding to either eIDAS or ZertEs requirements before completing the signature.

By default, Adobe Acrobat automatically loads the European Union Trust List (EUTL) to verify eIDAS signatures, but it may not always load the Swiss Trust List automatically.

To fix this and ensure your ZertES signature displays a green checkmark, you simply need to update your Adobe trust settings:

1. Open Adobe Acrobat and go to Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Acrobat > Settings (Mac).

2. Select Trust Manager from the left-hand menu.

3. Under the "Automatic Adobe Approved Trust List (AATL) updates" section, click Update Now.

4. Restart Adobe Acrobat. The ZertES signature should now be recognized as fully trusted.

Yes. If you previously completed identification for ZertES-compliant signatures, you will need to undergo a new identification process in order to use eIDAS-compliant signatures. This because eIDAS signatures are subject to different regulatory requirements than ZertES.

Only once. If you register after eIDAS signatures have been launched, a single identification process is sufficient.

Yes. New users who complete identification will be fully enabled for both eIDAS and ZertES signatures.

No. There are no different prices for ZertES or eIDAS signatures. As before, pricing is based solely on the number of signatures performed, regardless of whether they are ZertES- or eIDAS-compliant.

To do this, log in to your SwissID account, navigate to ‘Signature Web Service’, and click on ‘Unlink device from Signature Service’. This action will remove all mobile phone information associated with our signature service, ensuring your access remains secure. You can then easily reactivate access to the Signature Web Service during your next signing process.

If you need further assistance, please contact our customer service at the following email address: [email protected].