Poland to have new e-signature law

2010-05-04

The government has adopted a draft amendment to the law on electronic signatures, as reported by the Government Information Centre (CIR). To date, there are two kinds of electronic signatures – normal and safe. In accordance with the proposed new regulation, the name of a safe e-signature will be changed to that of a "qualified e-signature." The latter is equivalent to handwritten signatures and is based on a qualified certificate, which is created by a secure-signature-creation device. As the CIR explained, so far the name “safe signature” has often been mistakenly regarded as an absolute guarantee of the security of this tool.
The new law also introduces an advanced e-signature, which can be used either using the device for secure e-signature or without it.
In addition, the new regulation also introduces a so-called electronic seal, which will serve as an authentication of documents and will apply when issuing electronic certificates of registry.