E-signature legality in Belgium
België / Belgique
Belgian law fully recognises e-signatures under eIDAS and the Code de droit économique.
The law in plain language
Belgium implements eIDAS through Title 2 of Book XII of the Code de droit économique, with the implementing law of 21 July 2016. Electronic signatures are admissible as evidence in Belgian courts under Article 25 of eIDAS and Article XII.15 of the Code. The Belgian eID card is a qualified signature creation device — every Belgian citizen can produce a QES with their national ID.
- Primary framework
- eIDAS + Code de droit économique (Livre XII)
- National act
- Loi du 21 juillet 2016 mettant en œuvre eIDAS (Livre XII, Titre 2, Code de droit économique)
Signature tiers recognised in {country}
Belgium recognises the three eIDAS-aligned tiers. The right tier depends on the contract — most B2B documents are fine with SES; AES adds an identity-binding factor; QES carries the legal force of a handwritten signature for documents that require written form.
The baseline — admissible as evidence in court. Suitable for everyday commercial contracts.
SES + a second factor (typically SMS) that uniquely binds the signature to the signer.
AES + a qualified certificate from a Qualified Trust Service Provider. Equivalent to a wet signature.
Routinely signed electronically
- B2B service agreements, SaaS contracts, supplier MSAs
- NDAs, sales orders, partner agreements
- Employment offer letters, onboarding paperwork
- Independent contractor + freelance engagement letters
- Quotes, invoices, statements of work
- Internal HR documents (policy acknowledgements, training)
Still need wet ink
- Real estate transfers and mortgages (notarisation required)
- Wills, testaments, and inheritance documents
- Marriage, divorce, adoption and other family law instruments
- Some employment-termination documents under national labour law
Specifics for Belgium
- The Belgian eID card is a QSCD — every citizen has a built-in qualified signature device.
- Itsme is the most widely-used national identity app and supports qualified signing.
Local Qualified Trust Service Providers
We recognise certificates from these providers when verifying signed PDFs on /verify.
- Itsme (Belgian Mobile ID)
- eHealth Platform
Underlying standards
The legal force above comes from these technical + regulatory standards. Each has its own page with the full detail.
Signed contracts in Belgium, in 90 seconds
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