Watchtower/Law library/Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (UK eIDAS Regulation)
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legislation

Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (UK eIDAS Regulation)

UK eIDAS Regulation establishes legal recognition and standards for electronic signatures, seals, and time stamps under Art. 25, Art. 35, and Art. 41, binding trust service providers and public sector bodies under Art. 19 and Art. 27.

Verified at publication, 2026-11-12 11:36 UTC

58 provisions in 1 parts · official text ↗

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impact by vertical

Summary

What this law does

Establishes a legal framework for electronic identification and trust services in the United Kingdom, governing legal recognition, security obligations, conformity assessment, and supervision for electronic signatures, seals, time stamps, delivery services, and certificates.

Why it matters to Signicat and its customers

No Signicat-specific relevance narrative is stored for this instrument; the stored applicability is shown below.

Who is bound: Trust service providers; Qualified trust service providers; Public sector bodies; Bodies designated under Article 30(1); Secretary of State; supervisory body · Regulators: Information Commission; supervisory body

Banking Finance
Mandates legal recognition and technical standards for electronic signatures, seals, and timestamps across customer onboarding, contracting, and financial transaction workflows.
Commerce
Establishes legal validity and evidentiary admissibility for electronic contracts, signatures, and time stamps across digital commercial transactions.
Insurance Pensions
Enables electronic execution of policies and trust documentation using advanced or qualified electronic signatures and qualified electronic seals.
Manufacturing Construction
Provides statutory admissibility and integrity presumptions for electronic signatures and seals used in procurement agreements and supply chain contracts.
Public Sector Health
Binds public bodies to accept advanced and qualified electronic signatures and seals meeting statutory specifications for public online services.
Services
Governs trust service providers and enables legal and professional services to execute binding digital agreements with qualified electronic signatures.

Key obligations each linked to the provision it comes from

Under (1), a qualified trust service provider issuing qualified certificates must verify the identity and attributes of persons directly or through third parties: via physical presence under (a); remotely using electronic identification means meeting 'substantial' or 'high' under (b); via qualified certificate under (c); or via CAB-confirmed equivalent methods under (d). Under (2), providers must notify changes under (a), employ qualified staff under (b), maintain liability coverage under (c), inform customers under (d), use trustworthy systems under (e) and (f), prevent theft under (g), retain records for legal proceedings under (h), keep termination plans under (i), ensure lawful data processing under (j), and maintain certificate databases under (k). Under (3), revocations must be published within 24 hours.
Art. 24
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Under (3), the Information Commission acts as supervisory body to supervise qualified trust service providers established in the United Kingdom through ex ante and ex post supervisory activities under (a), and to take action against non-qualified trust service providers through ex post supervisory activities under (b). Under (4), tasks include analysing conformity assessment reports under (b), informing the public of breaches under (c), carrying out audits or requesting conformity assessments under (e), cooperating with data protection authorities under (f), granting or withdrawing qualified status under (g), informing the trusted list body under (h), verifying termination plans under (i), and requiring remediation under (j).
Art. 17
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Part summaries

0 of 0 parts have a verified summary.

L1 unavailable for current verification: the overall summary needs every part verified. Provisions and the verified summaries remain readable.

Verification findings (61)

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synthesis coverage: missing evaluation uk:eur/2014/910#article-28

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Instrument tier unavailable

Change history as published

Art. 4 omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/89), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 5; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

Art. 5 omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/89), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 6; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

Ch. 2 omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/89), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 7; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1) · repeated 7×

Art. 14 omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/89), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 9; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

Art. 15 omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/89), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 10; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

Art. 16 omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/89), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 11; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

Art. 23 omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/89), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 18; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

Ch. 5 omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/89), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 37; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1) · repeated 2×

Art. 49 omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/89), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 38; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

Pending effects amendments not yet applied to this text

Art. 13(1) power to amend conferred by Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 s. 131 · Effective date unknown · Art. 13

Art. 24(2)(b) power to amend conferred by Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 s. 131 · Effective date unknown · Art. 24

Art. 24A power to amend or revoke conferred by Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 s. 131 · Effective date unknown · Art. 24A

Art. 24B power to revoke conferred by Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 s. 131 · Effective date unknown · Art. 24B

Art. 51 power to revoke conferred by Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 s. 131 · Effective date unknown · Art. 51

Show all 6

Art. 18 heading word substituted by Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 s. 133(2) · Effective date unknown · Art. 18

Full TOC · table of contents Expand all parts

1 parts · 58 provisions. Open a provision for its text and, where available, its one-line summary.

· 58 provisions
Article 1 Subject matter
Article 2 Scope
Article 3 Definitions
Article 3A Periods of time
Article 4 Internal market principle
Article 5 Data processing and protection
Article 6 Mutual recognition
Article 7 Eligibility for notification of electronic identification schemes
Article 8 Assurance levels of electronic identification schemes
Article 9 Notification
Article 10 Security breach
Article 11 Liability
Article 12 Cooperation and interoperability
Article 13 Liability and burden of proof
Article 14 International aspects
Article 15 Accessibility for persons with disabilities
Article 16 Penalties
Article 17 Supervisory body
Article 18 Co-operation with EU authorities
Article 19 Security requirements applicable to trust service providers
Article 20 Supervision of qualified trust service providers
Article 21 Initiation of a qualified trust service
Article 22 Trusted list
Article 23 EU trust mark for qualified trust services
Article 24 Requirements for qualified trust service providers
Article 24A Recognition of EU standards etc.
Article 24B Recognition of EU conformity assessment bodies
Article 25 Legal effects of electronic signatures
Article 26 Requirements for advanced electronic signatures
Article 27 Electronic signatures in public services
Article 28 Qualified certificates for electronic signatures
Article 29 Requirements for qualified electronic signature creation devices
Article 30 Certification of qualified electronic signature creation devices
Article 31 Publication of a list of certified qualified electronic signature creation devices
Article 32 Requirements for the validation of qualified electronic signatures
Article 33 Qualified validation service for qualified electronic signatures
Article 34 Qualified preservation service for qualified electronic signatures
Article 35 Legal effects of electronic seals
Article 36 Requirements for advanced electronic seals
Article 37 Electronic seals in public services
Article 38 Qualified certificates for electronic seals
Article 39 Qualified electronic seal creation devices
Article 40 Validation and preservation of qualified electronic seals
Article 41 Legal effect of electronic time stamps
Article 42 Requirements for qualified electronic time stamps
Article 43 Legal effect of an electronic registered delivery service
Article 44 Requirements for qualified electronic registered delivery services
Article 45 Requirements for qualified certificates for website authentication
Article 45A Legal effects of overseas electronic signatures etc
Article 45B Overseas signatures and seals in public service
Article 45C Regulations under this Section
Article 46 Legal effects of electronic documents
Article 47 Exercise of the delegation
Article 48 Committee procedure
Article 49 Review
Article 50 Repeal
Article 51 Transitional measures
Article 52 Entry into force

Impact profile

Transportation
1
Banking finance
3
Public sector health
3
Energy, utilities & telco
1
Insurance pensions
2
Services
3
Media entertainment
1
Manufacturing construction
2
Commerce
2

Dimensions

Mechanism strength
3
Signicat obligation
3
Urgency
Pending

Penalties

not supplied

Definitions

electronic identification
“the process of using person identification data in electronic form uniquely representing either a natural or legal person, or a natural person representing a legal person;”
Art. 3
electronic identification means
“a material and/or immaterial unit containing person identification data and which is used for authentication for an online service;”
Art. 3
person identification data
“a set of data enabling the identity of a natural or legal person, or a natural person representing a legal person to be established;”
Art. 3
authentication
“an electronic process that enables the electronic identification of a natural or legal person, or the origin and integrity of data in electronic form to be confirmed;”
Art. 3
relying party
“a natural or legal person that relies upon ... a trust service;”
Art. 3
signatory
“a natural person who creates an electronic signature;”
Art. 3
electronic signature
“data in electronic form which is attached to or logically associated with other data in electronic form and which is used by the signatory to sign;”
Art. 3
advanced electronic signature
“an electronic signature which meets the requirements set out in Article 26;”
Art. 3
qualified electronic signature
“an advanced electronic signature that is created by a qualified electronic signature creation device, and which is based on a qualified certificate for electronic signatures;”
Art. 3
electronic signature creation data
“unique data which is used by the signatory to create an electronic signature;”
Art. 3
certificate for electronic signature
“an electronic attestation which links electronic signature validation data to a natural person and confirms at least the name or the pseudonym of that person;”
Art. 3
qualified certificate for electronic signature
“a certificate for electronic signatures, that is issued by a qualified trust service provider and meets the requirements laid down in Annex I;”
Art. 3
qualified trust service
“a trust service that meets the applicable requirements laid down in this Regulation;”
Art. 3
trust service provider
“a natural or a legal person who provides one or more trust services either as a qualified or as a non-qualified trust service provider;”
Art. 3
qualified trust service provider
“a trust service provider who provides one or more qualified trust services and is granted the qualified status by the supervisory body;”
Art. 3
product
“hardware or software, or relevant components of hardware or software, which are intended to be used for the provision of trust services (except in the expression “trust product”);”
Art. 3
electronic signature creation device
“configured software or hardware used to create an electronic signature;”
Art. 3
qualified electronic signature creation device
“an electronic signature creation device that meets the requirements laid down in Annex II;”
Art. 3
electronic seal
“data in electronic form, which is attached to or logically associated with other data in electronic form to ensure the latter’s origin and integrity;”
Art. 3
advanced electronic seal
“an electronic seal, which meets the requirements set out in Article 36;”
Art. 3

References

uk:ukpga/2018/12

uk:ukpga/2023/54

uk:uksi/2016/696