It defines electronic, advanced and qualified electronic signatures and seals, qualified certificates, qualified signature creation devices, timestamps, registered delivery and website authentication certificates, and requires each member state to publish a trusted list of qualified trust service providers. Article 25 gives qualified electronic signatures the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature and requires cross-border recognition.
The 2024 amendment (eIDAS 2) adds the European Digital Identity Wallet, qualified electronic attestations of attributes, electronic ledgers and archiving, and keeps the controversial rules on qualified website authentication certificates with safeguards for browser security policies. Technical details live in ETSI standards (PAdES, XAdES, CAdES, EN 319 411 and 319 412 for certificates).