What is an Electronic Certificate?

A qualified electronic signature certificate is an electronic document issued to a natural person by a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP, also known as Certification Authorities or CA).

This electronic document contains the necessary information to identify the owner of the data and to be able to make electronic signatures. It contains: name, surname, ID number, algorithm and signature keys, expiration date and is signed by the issuing CA.

The certificate formalizes the link between a signer and his key pair in the same way that an identity card formalizes the link between a citizen and his handwritten signature represented on the card.

The Qualified Certificate of Electronic Signature is, in the electronic world, the official passport that legally identifies a person, and gives him the ability to perform legally secure transactions. This official document is accepted by Governments and Courts of Justice all over the world.

This instrument guarantees the impossibility of the signatory to deny his participation in the signature, thanks to the non-repudiation. It allows us to know the identity of the signatory, as this is accredited, and makes it impossible to forge the certificate or signed document, providing it with integrity.

The qualified certificate of electronic signature is associated with a pair of signature keys (public and private) that allows, in addition to signing, to undergo access controls before automated systems.

The security of certificates depends on the CA that issues them. The CA must follow robust policies: strong cryptography, secure CA facilities and devices, good quality signature creation devices, reliable, secure personnel, etc. Confidence in such CA policies is based on the level of assurance that the CA actually implements these policies correctly. For this purpose, the CA is audited. We find Qualified and Unqualified Providers. ANF Certification Authority is a Qualified Provider, and undergoes several official audits annually.