allkirjade

Allkirjad are marks by which a person verifies authorship, consent, or intention on a document. In Estonian, the term allkirjade is the plural genitive form of allkiri, but in practice it denotes signatures in general, whether on paper or in electronic form.

Historically, allkirjad were handwritten on physical documents and relied on the signer’s personal handwriting as identification. Today the concept also covers electronic signatures created with computers, tablets, or mobile devices. Electronic signatures are categorized by their level of assurance: simple electronic signatures (SES) provide basic intent to sign; advanced electronic signatures (AES) link the signature to the signer’s identity and protect integrity; and qualified electronic signatures (QES) use certified electronic certificates and are legally recognized as equivalent to handwritten signatures in the European Union.

Digital signatures, a subset of electronic signatures, use cryptographic methods and public key infrastructure to ensure data integrity and non-repudiation. A digital signature attached to a document can be verified with a public key, and its associated certificate is issued by a trusted authority. The legal effect of signatures depends on the applicable regime; in the EU, QES has the strongest, most widely recognized standing under eIDAS.

Practical use of allkirjad includes contractual agreements, approvals, authorizations, and attestations. Risks include forgery and identity misrepresentation, which are mitigated by identity verification, secure signing devices, audit trails, and trusted service providers. In Estonia, digital signatures are supported by national e-identification systems such as ID cards, Mobile-ID, and Smart-ID.