Establishing the eGov signature validator throughout Switzerland
Electronic signatures are an important technical solution for guaranteeing the authenticity and legal validity of electronic documents. In order for recipients to be able to trust an electronically signed document, an easy way of verifying its authenticity and integrity is needed. To this end, the Confederation has established a secure signature validator that is available throughout Switzerland. It can be used not only by the Federal Administration, but also by the cantons and their communes and by private individuals and businesses.
A uniform verification solution for the whole of Switzerland
A web-based application for the newly developed eGov signature validator has been publicly available at www.validator.ch since December 2021. Documents for signature validation in accordance with the Federal Act on Electronic Signatures (ESigA) can be uploaded manually on the site (web validator). In addition, validation can be carried out automatically via an interface from any specialist applications of the Federal Administration, the cantons or the communes (discrete validator). In this case, instead of the document, only a hash value (a numeric value that uniquely identifies data) is transmitted to the eGov signature validator, and the document itself does not leave the user's infrastructure. The validator is thus an important basic service for electronic government processes.
The eGov signature validator enables electronically signed documents from the Confederation, the cantons and their communes to be verified in one place and according to the same standards. The validator has been used in the pilot canton of Vaud since 2016. Interested cantons can obtain the discrete validator from eOperations Switzerland AG on the basis of a service level agreement and then implement it in the desired specialist applications. Communes obtain the service via the canton.
Further information
Implementation plan objective 04/21
Establishing a signature validator throughout Switzerland
«The signature validator developed in the project has replaced the existing validator. It complies with Swiss legislation and standards and enables the validation of electronically signed documents in accordance with the ESigA (decisions, certificates, extracts from the register of convictions, etc.). A web-based solution is thus available to the Federal Administration, the cantonal and communal authorities, as well as the general public and third parties.»