A qualified electronic signature (QES) can be considered equivalent to a handwritten signature in the European Union (EU) with the use of a qualified digital certificate that is issued and managed by a qualified Trust Service Provider (TSP) in compliance with eIDAS.
QESs are available on the Premium plan (and the Premium API plan) as an add-on purchase. Contact your Account Manager to purchase QES add-ons.
In this article:
- How does QES verification work?
- How can I request a QES in a document?
- How can I manage my team’s QES add-on quota?
How does QES verification work?
QES verification requires a face-to-face video call to verify the signer’s identity. The signer receives an email requesting a QES, reviews the document in HelloSign, completes an IDnow video call to verify their identity, and signs the document.
Note: the signer can access IDnow via the IDnow app (on Android or iOS) or web browser (on phone, tablet, or laptop).
Once IDnow has verified the signer’s identity, we apply a digital QES certificate generated by Namirial (a TSP on the EU Trusted List) to the signature and send confirmation to both signer and sender that the process has been completed. IDnow stores signer identification data on servers located in Germany for 90 days. After 90 days, the data is completely deleted.
The resulting audit trail does not show the QES completion and time stamp. However, it does show that the document was reviewed and completed on the HelloSign platform, then sent to IDnow for identity verification. The audit trail is part of the document PDF, which needs to be finalised before the QES is added.
If the signer exits the process (such as to do the video call later), both signer and sender receive periodic email reminders until the process has been completed. Signers who exit the process have 90 days to complete it.
If you resend the request (such as due to a mistake), it counts towards your quota. If a verification fails and you don’t resend the request, it doesn’t count towards your quota.
How can I request a QES in a document?
QES requests can be sent to only one signer at a time – they can’t be used in bulk send requests. To enable the QES option in a document:
- Prepare the document as you normally would (see the Start Requesting section in the Getting Started Guide).
- When you reach a page called Who needs to sign?, go to the Add Signers section and toggle on the Enable Qualified eSignature option.
- If the option is not available, check with your admin to be sure the option is purchased and active.
- Continue preparing the document as you normally would.
How can I manage my team’s QES add-on quota?
As an admin, you’ll receive an email when 80% of your team’s purchased QES quota has been used. If you use all your QESs, more are automatically added to your plan. For example, if you purchase QESs in increments of 100 and use them, 100 more are added at a time until you reach 1000. If you purchase QESs in increments of 1000 and use them, 1000 more are added.
Note: your QES quota is available for one year from the time it is purchased or added.
To view and manage your QES quota:
- Hover over your initials in the top right-hand corner.
- Select Settings from the dropdown options.
- Click the Billing tab.
- Scroll to Add-Ons to view and manage your QES quota.
To temporarily turn off the QES option so your team members can’t use it (such as when you’re approaching your quota):
- Hover over your initials in the top right-hand corner.
- Select Admin Console from the dropdown options.
- Click Settings on the left.
- Click Signature requests.
- Scroll to Signature request options and toggle off the Qualified eSignature option.
Note: it’s best to let your team members know when you toggle this off or on.
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