The Austrian Signature Act (SigG) originally established the legal framework for electronic signatures in Austria. However, it was repealed on June 30, 2016. Since July 1, 2016, electronic signatures have been governed in particular by the directly applicable eIDAS Regulation of the European Union and the Austrian Signature and Trust Services Act (SVG). The SVG supplements the European eIDAS requirements at the national level and regulates, among other things, electronic signatures, electronic seals, time stamps, and the requirements for trust services and their providers.

The European legal framework distinguishes between different levels of electronic signatures: the simple electronic signature (EES), the advanced electronic signature (FES), and the qualified electronic signature (QES). The type of signature required depends, in particular, on the specific use case and the legal or contractual requirements.

In Austria, ID Austria plays a central role in this context, as it enables secure digital identification and qualified electronic signatures. sproof has directly integrated ID Austria and also supports numerous other European eIDs for digital identification and signature processes.