E-signature Legality in Switzerland
Several Swiss laws govern the use of e-signatures and the requirements for a service provider to issue an e-signature.
The Federal Act on the Electronic Signature and the Ordinance on the Electronic Signature cover requirements for service providers that must be met to issue and certify signatures and set out the conditions under which an e-signature could be considered equivalent to a handwritten signature.
The Swiss Code of Obligations (CO) also governs electronic signatures. It mainly addresses the use of e-signatures in legal documents, such as contracts.
Swiss law recognizes four types of e-signatures:
- Simple Electronic Signature, which is data logically associated with other data
- Advanced Electronic Signature, which links the signature to the signer
- Regulated Electronic Signature, which is more secure than AES as the link to the signer is established via a secure creation device
- Qualified Electronic Signature, which requires backing by a qualified certificate
Consult a legal professional for guidance when dealing with e-signatures.
Resources: