Qualified Time-Stamping Services

A time stamp is a confirmation that the time-stamped electronic information object existed up to the time indicated in the time stamp.

The qualified electronic time stamps have the following characteristics:

• time stamps issued by an independent trusted party;
• drawn up in accordance with the requirements of EU law and regulatory acts;
• drawn up according to a process certified by an EU-accredited institution and approved by the supervisory institution of the Republic of Lithuania;
• state-guaranteed time stamps;
• time stamp users are protected from the burden of proof in case of dispute, as this burden is assigned to the time stamp service provider;
• time-stamping services are insured against damages suffered by users in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Lithuania.

In summary, qualified electronic time stamps are high-quality time stamps in every aspect.

Electronic time stamps are used to ensure the validity of electronic signatures and seals, to record the time of transactions, in blockchains, and in other contexts where proof is needed of when data was created and that it has not been altered since then. Electronic time stamps are designed to capture the state of an electronic object or an event.

Qualified electronic time stamps provide legally binding evidence. In current practice, the use of qualified electronic time stamps is prevalent for ensuring the validity of qualified electronic signatures and seals, as well as for proving the validity of the corresponding electronic documents.

A qualified electronic signature is valid if it is confirmed by a valid qualified certificate of a signatory of an electronic signature. The signatory's knowledge that he signed with a valid qualified certificate is not sufficient. It is mandatory to have proof that the certificate was valid at the time of signing, maintained throughout the entire validity period of the electronic document, which could last for several decades. These proofs must be strong enough to resist any dispute from a contesting party. In such evidence, qualified electronic time stamps play a crucial role—starting with marking the exact time when the electronic signature was created.

Qualified services are services that are regulated by the government and covered by professional liability insurance. Unlike the case of unqualified services, in the event of a dispute, it is the qualified service provider — not the client — who bears the burden of proving that they did not act improperly.

MitSoft qualified time stamping services provide time stamps of exceptional accuracy and support a wide range of hashing algorithms, enabling them to meet the diverse needs of information systems. MitSoft time stamps use a long-term certificate that remains valid for at least 5 years from the date the time stamp is obtained. That way, you can reduce the number of time stamps when preserving long-term electronic documents.

Please contact us, and we will provide you with a proposal tailored to your needs.