The following pages provide you with information on the legal and technical basis for trust services. Additional information for trust service users can be viewed under Consumer service.

Since the Signatures Act took effect on 1 January 2000, the Telekom-Control-Kommission (TKK), as the regulatory authority responsible for the Austrian telecommunications market, is additionally empowered to serve as the supervisory body pursuant to the Signatures Act. In carrying out supervision, the TKK can operate through RTR as its agency.

The legal framework for electronic signatures became fundamentally modified as of 1 July 2016:

As of that date, the Signatures Act ceased to apply as legislation and was replaced by EU Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC, OJ L 257 of 28 August 2014, p. 73 (‘eIDAS Regulation’).

The eIDAS Regulation sets the legal provisions on electronic signatures within a comprehensive legal framework covering trust services. The eIDAS Regulation is implemented in the Signature and Trust Services Act, pursuant to which the Telekom-Control-Kommission additionally assumed responsibilities as the supervisory body for trust services as of 1 July 2016.

Trust service providers (TSPs) must notify the supervisory body of the intention to provide qualified trust services. Before being granted qualified status for the trust services they provide, TSPs must additionally submit a conformity assessment report and meet stringent requirements. A list of all qualified TSPs established in Austria can be found on our website. Information is provided for TSPs on the related requirements and specifically on notification requirements.

RTR also maintains a trusted list, including standardised items of information on the trust services provided by Austrian TSPs. In addition, RTR offers a verification service that allows users to validate electronic signatures and electronic seals.