Under law · eIDAS
Every proof is an electronic signature.
You don’t sign a document — you sign with an asset. Proving control of a phone, email, or domain mints a signed ES256 token — a signed proof of control that is itself an electronic signature under eIDAS.
The eIDAS ladder
Three tiers, three verdicts.
eIDAS defines three levels of electronic signature. Here is where a proof token lands on each.
How a proof token maps to eIDAS is our own assessment, not a legal determination — informational, not legal advice.
Why the status matters
A signature is evidence.
Under eIDAS (Article 25), an electronic signature can’t be denied legal effect or admissibility as evidence solely because it’s electronic — or because it isn’t qualified. When someone asks who approved the wire, you hand over a signed token anyone can verify offline — not a screenshot folder.
And the prong Proof doesn’t assert — legal identity — is deliberate: a proof token attests control of an asset, not who you legally are. No identity documents, no biometric checks — evidence and privacy at the same time.
Two kinds of signature
Sign a document, or sign with an asset.
Sign a document
When most people say “e-signature,” they mean placing a mark on a contract so it’s binding. That’s DocuSign, Dropbox Sign, and Adobe Acrobat Sign — upload a PDF, route it to signers, get back a signed document. If you have a contract to sign today, use one of them.
Compare the document e-signature platformsSign with an asset
Proof signs a different way. Proving control of a phone, email, or domain produces a cryptographic ES256 token — and under eIDAS, an electronic signature is data in electronic form used to sign. That token is an electronic signature. It’s not a signed document; it’s a signed proof of control — the same idea, a different instrument.
See how a proof is mintedWhat you can sign today
Not documents — everything else.
Most of what a business needs signed isn’t a PDF. Each of these mints an ES256 token that is itself an electronic signature — issued by one API call, verifiable offline by anyone.
Proof of Signature
Document and contract signing — the job DocuSign and Adobe own today — is a product on Proof’s roadmap: signing a document with a proof of control, so the signature carries a verifiable attestation of who acted, not just a typed name.
Until it ships, the position is simple: to sign a document today, use a document e-signature platform. For a portable, cryptographic proof that a party controls an asset — an electronic signature of a different kind — that’s what Proof does now.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Is a proof token an electronic signature under eIDAS?
At the eIDAS SES (simple electronic signature) level, a proof token qualifies as an electronic signature — it's data in electronic form used to sign, uniquely tied to the act. It carries the technical hallmarks of an Advanced Electronic Signature (AES) too — unique linkage, sole control, tamper-evidence — though because Proof proves control of an asset rather than legal identity, it stops short of a full AES signature. Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) require a qualified trust service provider and are on the roadmap.
Can I sign a PDF or contract with Proof?
Not yet. Signing documents and contracts is the roadmap 'Proof of Signature' product. Today, Proof issues a portable ES256 token that proves control of an asset — an electronic signature of a different kind, well-suited to authorization, delegation, and human approvals. For signing an actual document right now, DocuSign or Adobe Acrobat Sign is the right tool.
Is Proof's eIDAS assessment legal advice?
No. How a proof token maps to eIDAS is our own reading, published for transparency — not a legal determination and not legal advice. The cautious wording is deliberate: SES asserted, AES technical hallmarks only, QES on a path toward qualified.
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