Definitive Guide
An eIDAS timestamp is official, machine-verifiable proof that data existed at a specific date and time, defined by EU Regulation 910/2014. It is the same legal framework Europe uses for electronic signatures and digital contracts.
By the IPWeb3 Legal Research team · Last updated June 5, 2026
The Mechanics
The process follows RFC 3161, the internet standard for trusted timestamping, in three steps.
1. Hash
A cryptographic fingerprint (SHA-256) of your file is computed. The file itself never leaves your control; only the fingerprint is timestamped.
2. Sign
The timestamp authority binds that fingerprint to the current date and time and signs the combination with its own certificate, following the RFC 3161 standard. The result is a timestamp token (a .tsr file).
3. Verify
Anyone holding the file and the token can verify both independently: re-hash the file, check it matches the token, and check the authority's signature. Standard tools like OpenSSL do this offline, with no account and no permission from anyone.
Two Legal Levels
The eIDAS Regulation defines two levels of electronic timestamp, with different legal weight.
Any electronic timestamp under eIDAS. Article 41 establishes that it shall not be denied legal effect or admissibility as evidence in legal proceedings solely because it is in electronic form. This is the baseline protection: the timestamp counts as evidence, and a court weighs it like other evidence.
A timestamp issued by a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) listed on an official EU Trusted List, meeting strict technical and audit requirements (ETSI EN 319 421/422). Article 42 grants it a presumption of accuracy of the date and time it indicates and of the integrity of the data it is bound to.
Who counts as a Qualified Trust Service Provider is public: every QTSP is listed on the official EU Trusted List browser, maintained by the European Commission.
Why It Matters for Creators
Copyright attaches automatically when a work is created, but proving WHEN you created it is your problem. An eIDAS timestamp turns that into a verifiable fact instead of a claim: your file's fingerprint existed at this date, signed by an independent authority.
Verification needs only the file, the token, and standard tools. The proof does not depend on the issuing service staying in business, which is exactly the property you want from evidence that may matter a decade from now.
IPWeb3 EU Legal certificates pair the eIDAS timestamp with an on-chain record of the same file fingerprint. The two systems are independent: one is anchored in EU law, the other in a public immutable network. An opponent would have to defeat both.
Common Questions
It is official, machine-verifiable proof that a specific piece of data existed at a specific date and time, defined by EU Regulation 910/2014 (eIDAS). A trusted authority signs a fingerprint of your data together with the current time. Anyone can later verify the proof independently.
A standard electronic timestamp (Article 41) is admissible as evidence in EU legal proceedings. A qualified electronic timestamp (Article 42) is issued by an accredited Qualified Trust Service Provider on an EU Trusted List and additionally enjoys a legal presumption of accuracy and integrity, so the burden of disproving it falls on the other side.
The eIDAS legal framework applies in the EU. Outside the EU, the same timestamp is still strong technical evidence: it is a cryptographic proof that courts in many jurisdictions accept and weigh as digital evidence, and the underlying RFC 3161 standard is recognized worldwide.
You need the original file and the timestamp token (.tsr file). With OpenSSL: compute the file's SHA-256 hash, then run openssl ts -verify against the token and the authority's certificate chain. The check works offline and does not require the service that issued the timestamp to still exist.
Yes. IPWeb3 EU Legal certificates include an eIDAS electronic timestamp alongside the on-chain record, and the timestamp token is downloadable so anyone can verify it independently with standard tools. The on-chain proof and the eIDAS timestamp back each other up as two independent forms of evidence.
IPWeb3 EU Legal certificates combine an eIDAS electronic timestamp with immutable on-chain proof, generated in minutes, verifiable by anyone, forever.