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eSignatures Legislation

Digital Signature Act (2001)

The German Electronic Signature Act came into force on 22 May 2001, implementing EUDirective 1999/93/ECon a Community framework for electronic signatures and replacing the previous Digital Signature Actthat had been adopted as part of the Information and Communication Services Act of 1 August 1997. It regulates the necessary secure infrastructure for the use of electronic signatures, which receive the same legal status as hand-written signatures. It is complemented by an Ordinanceon Electronic Signaturesof 16 November 2001 setting out standard requirements and responsibilities for certification authorities, as well as minimum requirements for technical components used to create digital signatures. The Digital Signature Act has been amended by the First law amending the Signature Act (1. SigÄndG) of 04/01/2005.