Digital signing
Electronic signing allows you to sign document files in a paper-free manner. But did you know, however, that all signatures given electronically are not digital signatures and their legal validity does not correspond to the handwritten signature? Here is where you can learn more about electronic and digital signing in Estonia.
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Timestamping service
The timestamping service is a secure archiving solution which proves that certain data exist at a certain time. Therefore, this is widely used with digital signing (in order to verify the legality of the document) and archiving solutions, where the objective is to keep guaranteed information unchanged.
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BDOC file format
BDOC file format and its use.
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BDOC2.1 – New Estonian digital signature standard format
The new version of the Estonian digital signature standard EVS 821:2014 can be purchased from the Estonian Centre for Standardisation. The new standard is valid from 5 June 2014.
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Signing with ID-cards and digital IDs on websites
Several signing plugins have been developed for different operating systems and browsers: components and sample applications.
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What is the difference between digitally signed documents with .bdoc and .asice extensions?
In Estonia, the BDOC format and its two subformats are used for digital signatures, which can be recognised by .bdoc and .asice file extensions.
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DigiDoc container format life cycle
An overview of DigiDoc container formats supported by different versions and components of the ID-sofrware.
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Recommended data file formats for digital signing
Nowadays, nearly all file formats are suitable for digital signing. There are no restrictions on digitally signed documents exchanged between information systems, but if a signed document is sent to an end-user, the most common and standard file formats should be preferred.
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BDOC, CDOC and ASICE DigiDoc file formats
An overview of DigiDoc container formats supported by different versions and components of the ID-software can be found on the DigiDoc container format life cycle page. There is also a sample file for each format.
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Verifying signatures given with test certificates in the DigiDoc4 client
In order to verify signatures given with test certificates in the DigiDoc4 client, you need to configure the test certificates manually. Otherwise the signature validation check will return the status “Unknown”.
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Informing user of unsuccessful signing
Upon electronic use of an ID-card, setup related errors may occur with the browser. To avoid problems, we recommend doing an automated check-up of the signing plugin in the e-service and display to the user as precisely a formulated error message as possible.
