As organisations continue to digitise their approval workflows, contracts, and documentation, terms like electronic signature and digital signature are often used interchangeably. While they’re closely related, they serve different purposes—and the differences matter when it comes to security, compliance, and legal validity.
This article breaks down:
- What an electronic signature is
- What a digital signature is
- How they relate to each other
- When you should use one vs the other
- The role of AES and QES under eIDAS
- Why platforms like Evia Sign by Enadoc make compliance easier
Electronic Signatures vs Digital Signatures – At a Glance
Electronic signatures (e-signatures)
- A broad category of digital methods used to sign documents
- Fast, simple, and widely accepted
- Ideal for everyday business transactions
- Examples: typing your name, clicking “I agree”, or signing through an e-signature platform
Digital signatures
- A specific type of electronic signature
- Uses cryptographic technology and digital certificates
- Provides strong identity verification and tamper evidence
- Preferred in regulated industries and high-risk transactions
In short:
All digital signatures are electronic signatures — but not all electronic signatures are digital signatures.
What Is an Electronic Signature?
An electronic signature is any electronic process that demonstrates a person’s intent to sign a document. E-signatures can include:
- Typing or drawing a signature
- Clicking a consent or approval button
- Signing a document through a platform like Evia Sign by Enadoc
They are:
- Easy to use
- Quick to implement
- Suitable for most agreements
- Supported by detailed audit trails
This makes basic e-signatures perfect for daily contracts, internal approvals, and general business workflows.
What Is a Digital Signature?
A digital signature is a highly secure form of e-signature that uses Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to verify a signer’s identity and protect the document from tampering.
Digital signatures:
- Create a unique digital certificate tied to the signer
- Act like an “electronic fingerprint”
- Produce a tamper-evident record
- Are compliant with strict regulations (such as eIDAS in the UK and EU)
- Offer stronger legal and security assurances than a simple e-signature
In many cases, organisations use digital signatures when they need elevated trust, strict compliance, or enhanced identity verification.
How Digital Signatures Enhance E-Signatures
Platforms like Evia Sign by Enadoc combine the ease of e-signatures with the power of digital signature technology.
A digital signature:
- Verifies the authenticity of the signer
- Ensures the document has not been altered
- Generates an audit trail that records:
- Who signed
- When they signed
- What they signed
- Any changes made afterward
This results in a secure, legally enforceable, and fully traceable signing process.
Digital Signature Types Under eIDAS: AES and QES
Under the European eIDAS regulation, two advanced digital signature levels offer higher verification and legal strength:
1. Advanced Electronic Signature (AES)
AES provides enhanced authentication and security, often including:
- Verification of a government-issued ID
- A unique access code or one-time password
- A digital certificate linked to the transaction
- Tamper detection if any changes occur after signing
Common AES use cases include:
- Financial transactions
- Government or legal documents
- HR employee onboarding
- Regulated industry agreements
AES balances strong security with a smooth user experience.
2. Qualified Electronic Signature (QES)
QES is the highest and most regulated form of digital signature under eIDAS. It requires:
- A digital certificate issued by a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP)
- Identity verification through a face-to-face or equivalent remote process
- A Qualified Signature Creation Device (QSCD)
A QES is explicitly recognised as the legal equivalent of a handwritten signature across all EU Member States.
eIDAS Use Case
For example, European banks often use QES for high-value financial agreements, compliance paperwork, and account authorisation processes. QES gives financial institutions:
- Strong identity verification
- Tamper-proof digital audit trails
- Cross-border legal recognition
- Compliance with strict anti-fraud and regulatory standards
As a result, QES is increasingly becoming the default signature type for critical, high-security transactions across the EU.
When Should You Use a Digital Signature Instead of a Simple E-Signature?
Choose a simple electronic signature (SES) for:
- Everyday business approvals
- Routine contracts (e.g., NDAs, basic service agreements)
- Documents requiring speed and ease of signing
Choose an Advanced Electronic Signature (AES) for:
- Legal, regulatory, or financial agreements
- Government-related transactions
- HR compliance processes
- Situations requiring verified identity
Choose a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) for:
- Transactions where national or EU law mandates QES
- High-value, high-risk agreements
- Cross-border EU transactions needing maximum legal certainty
- Compliance-critical digital transformation initiatives
How Evia Sign by Enadoc Supports Your Digital Signing Needs
Evia Sign by Enadoc makes it easy for organisations to move from paper-heavy workflows to secure, compliant digital processes.
With Evia Sign, you can:
- Send and sign documents with legally enforceable e-signatures
- Enable additional identity verification when required
- Maintain full audit trails and tamper-evident records
- Support compliant AES and QES workflows where applicable
- Integrate signing processes directly into your ECM or business systems
- Scale from basic e-signatures to advanced trust-based signatures
Whether you’re streamlining everyday approvals or handling regulated, high-stakes agreements, Evia Sign gives you the flexibility to choose the right signing method for every scenario.
Key Takeaways
- Electronic signatures are simple, fast, and ideal for everyday use.
- Digital signatures use cryptography and certificates for stronger authentication and tamper-proof security.
- AES and QES offer enhanced identity verification and are required or preferred in regulated sectors.
- Under eIDAS, QES holds the highest legal status, equivalent to a handwritten signature.
- Evia Sign by Enadoc helps businesses adopt both e-signatures and digital signatures with ease, security, and compliance.
👉 Start your 30-day transformation today — enadoc.com/eviasign
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