Qualified Validator: How to Interpret Validation Results?
Looking for information on how to correctly verify a document, or wondering what a specific status in the Autenti Qualified Validator means? Below you will find a complete guide to validation results and supported formats.
What is the Autenti Qualified Validator?
The Autenti Qualified Validator checks the authenticity of electronic signatures and seals in accordance with the eIDAS regulation. It verifies the type of signature used, the validity of its accompanying certificates, the signer’s details, and whether the document was modified after signing. For electronic seals, the validator checks data authenticity and integrity, and indicates the legal entity that applied the seal.
What is a Validation Proof?
A Validation Proof is a human-readable PDF document secured with Autenti’s qualified seal. Together with an ETSI-compliant XML report, it serves as recognized evidence in legal disputes and audits - even many years after a transaction is completed.
The Validation Proof contains all process details: the signer’s full details (first name, last name, and sometimes organization), certificate serial number, issuer details, signature format, and timestamp parameters. The entire document is assigned a unique validation process identifier.
Which Types of Electronic Signatures Do We Validate?
Using the Autenti Qualified Validator, you can validate:
- Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) – from all certified providers across the European Union.
- Advanced Electronic Signatures (AES).
- Autenti Signatures.
- Personal Signatures (from e-ID card or mObywatel app).
- Trusted Signatures (Profil Zaufany).
- Electronic Seals.
Which File Formats Can Be Verified in the Autenti Qualified Validator?
You can verify the following file formats: PDF, .XML, and .XAdES.
Important limit: The maximum size for a single verified file is 20 MB.
How to Interpret the Overall Validation Status of a Document?
After verifying a file, the system assigns one of three overall statuses to the entire document:
- 🟢 Positive (Green) – All signatures and seals in the document are valid, and the content of the file has not been modified.
- 🔴 Negative (Red) – The document contains at least one invalid (corrupted or expired) signature.
- ⚪ No Overall Status – The system could not conclusively verify all signatures. In this situation, check the detailed results for individual signatures to find the cause.
How to Interpret Detailed Results for Specific Signatures and Seals?
Each signature or seal is also verified individually and receives one of three statuses:
- 🟢 Positive Validation (Green) – Signature authenticity and certificate validity have been fully confirmed.
- 🔴 Negative Validation (Red) – The signature is invalid. You can find the specific reason for the error in the validation result description.
- 🟡 Indeterminate Validation (Yellow) – Signature authenticity could not be conclusively confirmed. You can find the reason in the validation result description.
What Can Cause a Negative Electronic Signature Validation?
In accordance with technical standards, a signature may be classified as invalid due to:
- Inability to cryptographically verify the signature.
- Failed cryptographic verification of the signature.
- Inability to confirm document integrity.
- Certificate revoked at the time of signing.
- Certificate expired at the time of signing.
- Certificate not yet valid at the time of signing.
Validation results always state the specific reason why a signature was marked as invalid.
What Can Cause an Indeterminate Electronic Signature Validation?
Validation results in an indeterminate status (yellow) when a signature cannot be clearly rated as positive or negative. Common causes include:
- Inability to build a trust chain for the certificate.
- The cryptographic algorithm used is not recommended by technical standards.
- Incorrect sequence of timestamps.
- Lack of proof that the signature was created during the certificate’s validity period.
- Temporary inability to access data required to confirm certificate validity.
Why Does an External Validator Show "Indeterminate", While the Autenti Qualified Validator Shows "Positive"?
Most standard validators on the market (such as free government applications or PDF reader tools) are designed exclusively to verify qualified signatures.
If you check a document signed with a different signature type (such as an advanced signature, Autenti signature, Trusted Profile, or e-ID) using such tools, the system will return an "Indeterminate" result simply because it cannot recognize it.
How it works in Autenti:
The Autenti Qualified Validator offers a much broader scope of operation. In addition to qualified electronic signatures (QES), it automatically recognizes and correctly verifies advanced electronic signatures (AES), Autenti signatures, and identity-based signatures (mObywatel, Profil Zaufany).
Importantly, the Autenti Qualified Validator allows you to validate documents even if they were not signed on the Autenti platform - you can verify files originating from any external source.
In practice, the same document checked in a standard validator may yield an "indeterminate" result, whereas the Autenti Qualified Validator will successfully verify it with a positive result.