Glossary term · P
PAdES (PDF Advanced Electronic Signature)
Definition
PAdES (PDF Advanced Electronic Signature, ETSI EN 319 142 standard) is the European standard for digital signatures embedded in PDF files. Adopted by the eIDAS regulation as the reference format for European documents, PAdES is today natively implemented by all PDF readers (Adobe Acrobat, Foxit, PDF.js, pdfsig). A PAdES signature is embedded IN the PDF: no detached file, no dependency on a third-party platform, offline verifiability.
The four PAdES profiles define an increasing level of guarantee:
• PAdES B-B (Baseline-B): basic signature with minimal ETSI attributes. Sufficient for common uses where immediate evidential value is enough.
• PAdES B-T (Baseline-T): adds a qualified RFC 3161 timestamp immediately after the signature, proving the date.
• PAdES B-LT (Baseline-Long Term): adds long-term validation with embedded certificate chain and revocation data. Verifiable even after the original certificate expires.
• PAdES B-LTA (Baseline-Long Term with Archive timestamp): adds periodic archive timestamps to maintain evidential value beyond 10 years, essential for documents requiring very long preservation (real estate, patents).
Certyneo implementation: all signed PDFs are produced in PAdES B-LT by default, the profile recommended for the majority of B2B uses. The B-LTA profile can be activated on the Business plan for contracts requiring preservation longer than 10 years. Verifiability guaranteed in Adobe Acrobat Reader without plug-in.
PAdES vs other formats: see XAdES (for XML), PAdES / XAdES / CAdES comparison.
The four PAdES profiles define an increasing level of guarantee:
• PAdES B-B (Baseline-B): basic signature with minimal ETSI attributes. Sufficient for common uses where immediate evidential value is enough.
• PAdES B-T (Baseline-T): adds a qualified RFC 3161 timestamp immediately after the signature, proving the date.
• PAdES B-LT (Baseline-Long Term): adds long-term validation with embedded certificate chain and revocation data. Verifiable even after the original certificate expires.
• PAdES B-LTA (Baseline-Long Term with Archive timestamp): adds periodic archive timestamps to maintain evidential value beyond 10 years, essential for documents requiring very long preservation (real estate, patents).
Certyneo implementation: all signed PDFs are produced in PAdES B-LT by default, the profile recommended for the majority of B2B uses. The B-LTA profile can be activated on the Business plan for contracts requiring preservation longer than 10 years. Verifiability guaranteed in Adobe Acrobat Reader without plug-in.
PAdES vs other formats: see XAdES (for XML), PAdES / XAdES / CAdES comparison.
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