- advanced electronic seal
means an electronic seal, which meets the requirements set out in Article 36;
- advanced electronic signature
means an electronic signature which meets the requirements set out in Article 26;
- attribute
means a characteristic, quality, right or permission of a natural or legal person or of an object;
- authentic source
means a repository or system, held under the responsibility of a public sector body or private entity, that contains and provides attributes about a natural or legal person or object and that is considered to be a primary source of that information or recognised as authentic in accordance with Union or national law, including administrative practice;
- authentication
means an electronic process that enables the confirmation of the electronic identification of a natural or legal person or the confirmation of the origin and integrity of data in electronic form;
- body governed by public law
means a body defined in point (4) of Article 2(1) of Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council;
- certificate for electronic seal
means an electronic attestation that links electronic seal validation data to a legal person and confirms the name of that person;
- certificate for electronic signature
means an electronic attestation which links electronic signature validation data to a natural person and confirms at least the name or the pseudonym of that person;
- certificate for website authentication
means an electronic attestation that makes it possible to authenticate a website and links the website to the natural or legal person to whom the certificate is issued;
- conformity assessment body
means a conformity assessment body as defined in Article 2, point 13, of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008, which is accredited in accordance with that Regulation as competent to carry out conformity assessment of a qualified trust service provider and the qualified trust services it provides, or as competent to carry out certification of European Digital Identity Wallets or electronic identification means;
- creator of a seal
means a legal person who creates an electronic seal;
- data record
means electronic data recorded with related meta-data supporting the processing of the data;
- electronic archiving
means a service ensuring the receipt, storage, retrieval and deletion of electronic data and electronic documents in order to ensure their durability and legibility as well as to preserve their integrity, confidentiality and proof of origin throughout the preservation period;
- electronic attestation of attributes
means an attestation in electronic form that allows attributes to be authenticated;
- electronic document
means any content stored in electronic form, in particular text or sound, visual or audiovisual recording;
- electronic identification
means the process of using person identification data in electronic form uniquely representing either a natural or legal person, or a natural person representing another natural person or a legal person;
- electronic identification means
means a material and/or immaterial unit containing person identification data and which is used for authentication for an online service or, where appropriate, for an offline service;
- electronic identification scheme
means a system for electronic identification under which electronic identification means are issued to natural or legal persons or natural persons representing other natural persons or legal persons;
- electronic ledger
means a sequence of electronic data records, ensuring the integrity of those records and the accuracy of the chronological ordering of those records;
- electronic registered delivery service
means a service that makes it possible to transmit data between third parties by electronic means and provides evidence relating to the handling of the transmitted data, including proof of sending and receiving the data, and that protects transmitted data against the risk of loss, theft, damage or any unauthorised alterations;
- electronic seal
means data in electronic form, which is attached to or logically associated with other data in electronic form to ensure the latter’s origin and integrity;
- electronic seal creation data
means unique data, which is used by the creator of the electronic seal to create an electronic seal;
- electronic seal creation device
means configured software or hardware used to create an electronic seal;
- electronic signature
means data in electronic form which is attached to or logically associated with other data in electronic form and which is used by the signatory to sign;
- electronic signature creation data
means unique data which is used by the signatory to create an electronic signature;
- electronic signature creation device
means configured software or hardware used to create an electronic signature;
- electronic time stamp
means data in electronic form which binds other data in electronic form to a particular time establishing evidence that the latter data existed at that time;
- European Digital Identity Wallet
means an electronic identification means which allows the user to securely store, manage and validate person identification data and electronic attestations of attributes for the purpose of providing them to relying parties and other users of European Digital Identity Wallets, and to sign by means of qualified electronic signatures or to seal by means of qualified electronic seals;
- identity matching
means a process where person identification data, or electronic identification means are matched with or linked to an existing account belonging to the same person;
- offline mode
means, as regards the use of European Digital Identity Wallets, an interaction between a user and a third party at a physical location using close proximity technologies, whereby the European Digital Identity Wallet is not required to access remote systems via electronic communication networks for the purpose of the interaction.
- person identification data
means a set of data that is issued in accordance with Union or national law and that enables the establishment of the identity of a natural or legal person, or of a natural person representing another natural person or a legal person.
- personal data
means any information as defined in Article 4, point (1), of Regulation (EU) 2016/679;
- product
means hardware or software, or relevant components of hardware or software, which are intended to be used for the provision of electronic identification and trust services;
- public sector body
means a state, regional or local authority, a body governed by public law or an association formed by one or several such authorities or one or several such bodies governed by public law, or a private entity mandated by at least one of those authorities, bodies or associations to provide public services, when acting under such a mandate;
- qualified certificate for electronic seal
means a certificate for an electronic seal, that is issued by a qualified trust service provider and meets the requirements laid down in Annex III;
- qualified certificate for electronic signature
means a certificate for electronic signatures, that is issued by a qualified trust service provider and meets the requirements laid down in Annex I;
- qualified certificate for website authentication
means a certificate for website authentication, which is issued by a qualified trust service provider and meets the requirements laid down in Annex IV;
- qualified electronic archiving service
means an electronic archiving service which is provided by a qualified trust service provider and which meets the requirements laid down in Article 45j;
- qualified electronic attestation of attributes
means an electronic attestation of attributes which is issued by a qualified trust service provider and meets the requirements laid down in Annex V;
- qualified electronic ledger
means an electronic ledger which is provided by a qualified trust service provider and which meets the requirements laid down in Article 45l;
- qualified electronic registered delivery service
means an electronic registered delivery service which meets the requirements laid down in Article 44;
- qualified electronic seal
means an advanced electronic seal, which is created by a qualified electronic seal creation device, and that is based on a qualified certificate for electronic seal;
- qualified electronic seal creation device
means an electronic seal creation device that meets mutatis mutandis the requirements laid down in Annex II;
- qualified electronic signature
means an advanced electronic signature that is created by a qualified electronic signature creation device, and which is based on a qualified certificate for electronic signatures;
- qualified electronic signature creation device
means an electronic signature creation device that meets the requirements laid down in Annex II;
- qualified electronic time stamp
means an electronic time stamp which meets the requirements laid down in Article 42;
- qualified trust service
means a trust service that meets the applicable requirements laid down in this Regulation;
- qualified trust service provider
means a trust service provider who provides one or more qualified trust services and is granted the qualified status by the supervisory body;
- relying party
means a natural or legal person that relies upon electronic identification, European Digital Identity Wallets or other electronic identification means, or upon a trust service;
- remote qualified electronic seal creation device
means a qualified electronic seal creation device that is managed by a qualified trust service provider in accordance with Article 39a on behalf of a seal creator;
- remote qualified electronic signature creation device
means a qualified electronic signature creation device that is managed by a qualified trust service provider in accordance with Article 29a on behalf of a signatory;
- signatory
means a natural person who creates an electronic signature;
- strong user authentication
means an authentication based on the use of at least two authentication factors from different categories of either knowledge, something only the user knows, possession, something only the user possesses or inherence, something the user is, that are independent, in that the breach of one does not compromise the reliability of the others, and is designed in such a way as to protect the confidentiality of the authentication data;
- trust service
means an electronic service normally provided for remuneration which consists of any of the following:
- trust service provider
means a natural or a legal person who provides one or more trust services either as a qualified or as a non-qualified trust service provider;
- user
means a natural or legal person, or a natural person representing another natural person or a legal person, that uses trust services or electronic identification means provided in accordance with this Regulation;
- validation
means the process of verifying and confirming that data in electronic form are valid in accordance with this Regulation;
- validation data
means data that is used to validate an electronic signature or an electronic seal;