Qualified electronic timestamp

A qualified electronic timestamp, issued by a QTSP under eIDAS, proves data existed at a time, with legal presumption of accuracy and integrity.

An electronic timestamp binds data to a particular point in time, providing evidence that the data existed at that moment. A qualified timestamp is issued by a QTSP acting as a time-stamping authority (TSA) under eIDAS requirements (accurate time source traceable to UTC, sealed with the QTSP's advanced electronic signature or seal) and enjoys a legal presumption of the accuracy of the date and time it indicates as well as of the integrity of the data it is bound to. A qualified timestamp issued by a QTSP in one EU Member State is recognised as a qualified timestamp in all other Member States. You can check whether a QTSP is authorised to issue qualified timestamps via the EU Trusted List; non-qualified timestamps also exist, but without this legal presumption.

Timestamps are a building block of durable signatures and seals: they prove the signature existed while the certificate was valid, which is essential for long-term validation and archiving.