eIDAS is the EU regulation on electronic identification and trust services (Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, amended in 2024). It defines three levels of electronic signature:
- Simple electronic signature (SES): data in electronic form attached to or logically associated with a document and used to sign it, such as a typed name, a drawn signature or a confirmation code, usually backed by evidence of who signed and when.
- Advanced electronic signature (AdES): uniquely linked to the signer and capable of identifying them, created with data under the signer's sole control, and linked to the document so that any later change can be detected.
- Qualified electronic signature (QES): an advanced signature created with a qualified signature creation device and based on a qualified certificate. It has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature throughout the EU.
eIDAS states that a signature cannot be denied legal effect or refused as evidence in court solely because it is electronic or does not meet the qualified level. Simple signatures with a strong audit trail are widely used for commercial documents such as quotes, orders and service agreements; some acts require a higher level under national law.
OVOKY e-signature produces simple electronic signatures under eIDAS, not qualified ones. Signers confirm with an email or SMS code, each envelope keeps an audit trail of 18 event types chained by hashes, and the signed document is sealed as a PAdES PDF with an RFC 3161 timestamp.