Qualified Electronic Signature

Use QES to meet the highest legal signing standards (eIDAS) for sensitive documents like annual reports and real estate contracts.

May 27, 2026

Table of contents

• Critical rules for QES documents
• Activate QES for your entity
• QES when sending a document
• How the signing process works
• Validate a QES-signed document
• Norwegian QES for BankID signing
• Who needs to migrate
• Enable Norwegian QES
• Available QES Methods
• Frequently asked questions

Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) is the highest level of signature under Regulation nº 910/2014 (eIDAS). According to eIDAS Section 4, Article 25, a qualified electronic signature carries the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature and must be recognized across all EU Member States.

QES is the most advanced way of digitally signing, providing full EU compliance and passing the EU's signature validation services. It is used for workflows requiring personal identity verification, such as Swedish annual reports or Polish employment contracts. GetAccept supports PAdES-LT and Enveloped XAdES LT to ensure these high-assurance standards.

GetAccept also supports Qualified Electronic Signatures for BankID signing in Norway, ensuring continuity as BankID retires its legacy signing infrastructure and helping customers in regulated sectors meet consent requirements.

Note: QES is available as a yearly add-on for Enterprise customers. Please contact your account manager to activate this feature.

Critical rules for QES documents

QES requires strict document integrity to maintain its qualified status. To use QES, you must follow these technical restrictions:

• No recipient input fields: Recipients cannot fill out text fields, checkboxes, or radio buttons when using QES. You must ensure all input fields are populated before the first signer signs.

• All signers must use QES: You cannot mix QES with standard signing methods on the same document; all parties must sign with QES.

• Sender signing: To sign the document yourself, you must toggle OFF "Sender will sign this document" and instead add yourself as the first recipient in the signing order.

• Avoid eID combination: We do not recommend using standard eID in combination with QES.

• No signing order or transfer of signing rights: Norwegian QES is not compatible with recipient-gathered input such as fields, signatures, transfer of signature rights, or signing order. These must be removed from documents or templates in order to select the QES signing method.

Activate QES for your entity

Administrators must enable QES in the entity settings before users can apply it to documents.

1. Go to Settings and select Signing under Document Settings.
2. Toggle on Enable QES signing.
3. Click Save.

QES when sending a document

Once the feature is enabled for your organization, you must activate it for each specific document during the send-out process.

1. Create a new document draft and add your recipients.
2. In the document summary or recipient list, locate the Sign with QES toggle.
3. Switch the toggle ON to apply Qualified signing to the entire document.

How the signing process works

The recipient flow is similar to standard signing but includes extra validation steps.

1. Preparation: After clicking "Sign now," GetAccept prepares the PDF for 5-10 seconds.
2. Country Selection: The recipient selects their country to see nearly 30 available QES options.
3. Verification: The signer completes the process either within the GetAccept modal (e.g., scanning a QR code) or via a redirect to an external provider page.

Note: The final signed PDF will not contain a separate signing certificate. Because QES is embedded directly in the file, it is verified through the document's own e-signature properties in tools like Adobe Acrobat.

Validate a QES-signed document

You can verify that a document was properly signed with a Qualified Electronic Signature using the official EU validation service.

1. Download the signed PDF from GetAccept.
2. Go to the EU Digital Signature Service validation tool.
3. Upload your signed PDF.
4. The tool will confirm whether the document contains a valid Qualified Electronic Signature that meets eIDAS standards.

Pro-tip: Share the EU Digital Signature Service validation tool with your Recipients if they need to independently verify that a document was signed with QES.

Norwegian QES for BankID signing

GetAccept now supports Qualified Electronic Signatures for BankID signing in Norway. This update is driven by two separate external changes:

• Regulatory enforcement (energy sector): From 1 April 2026, Norwegian energy retailers must collect verified customer consent using a Qualified Electronic Signature that meets eIDAS "High."
• BankID technology sunset: BankID is discontinuing its legacy signing infrastructure. After 1 April 2026, the legacy "login-as-signature" method will no longer be supported, and standard BankID signing in Norway will stop working.

Norwegian QES meets eIDAS "High," uses a Norwegian-qualified trust service provider, and is distinct from both the previous standard BankID signing in Norway and the QES integrations GetAccept offers in other countries.

Who needs to migrate

• Norwegian energy retailers: Migration to QES is mandatory to meet regulatory consent requirements.
• All other Norwegian BankID customers: Not affected by regulation, but must migrate to continue signing with BankID once the legacy infrastructure is removed. Customers who do not enable QES can still use handwritten or typed signatures.

Enable Norwegian QES

Norwegian QES is not enabled by default. Enablement requires manual setup:

1. Confirm with your GetAccept contact that your entity needs Norwegian QES.
2. Provide your customer name and entity ID.
3. Once the External Eid Signature add-on is applied to your account, Norwegian QES becomes available for that entity.

Note: The Norwegian QES add-on itself is free of charge, but there is a cost of 15 NOK per signature, which covers both the BankID signature and QES.

Available QES Methods

These are the different QES methods that we offer:

* Available on request

Frequently asked questions

Is BankID QES required by law for everyone in Norway?

No. Regulatory enforcement applies only to the energy sector. Other Norwegian customers are not legally required to use QES, but must migrate if they want to continue signing with BankID after the legacy infrastructure is removed.

What happens if a non-energy customer in Norway doesn't enable QES?

They won't be able to sign with BankID, but can still use handwritten or typed signatures.

How much does Norwegian QES cost?

The add-on is free, with no recurring fee. There is a cost of 15 NOK per signature, which covers both the BankID signature and QES.