Call for evidence outcome

Adoption of trust services: government response

Updated 17 June 2026

1. Executive summary

In August 2025, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) launched a call for views on the adoption of trust services. The call for views targeted organisations that use or provide trust services.

We received a limited number of substantive responses (37 responses) of which 18 were trust service providers. The remaining responses came from organisations working across the trust service sector.

Responses highlighted key concerns for the sector. These concerns included low levels of public-sector adoption, the lack of clarity and integration between the governance of trust services and digital verification services, as well as international interoperability.

DSIT will gather further evidence to understand where improvements to international interoperability, public sector use and governance can increase adoption of trust services.

2. Background

Trust services are digital tools that make online transactions more secure and reliable. They include electronic signatures, electronic seals, electronic time stamps, electronic registered delivery services and certificate services for website authentication. Trust services are designed to protect electronic data and demonstrate that it can be trusted as they help confirm the authenticity and integrity of electronic documents and transactions. For example, an electronic signature, or e-signature, offers a digital way of signing documents online, replacing the need for a handwritten ‘wet’ signature. E-signatures created under robust standards can help to securely link a person’s identity to a digital representation of their signature, thereby creating a higher level of trust in its veracity. This makes online transactions quicker and more secure without needing to print, sign and scan paperwork.

Trust services make up a key part of the UK’s digital identity ecosystem. DSIT’s digital identity sectoral analysis found that 34% of digital verification service providers operating in the UK offer trust services, and providers’ whose primary specialisation was trust services generated an estimated revenue of £136 million in 2023 – 2024.

As the UK economy continues its digital transformation, trust services can help to make online transactions more secure and prevent the tampering of electronic records. They can also help streamline operational processes, reduce administrative burdens, and lower costs for businesses.

The retained EU legislation of Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (UK eIDAS Regulation) and the Electronic Identification and Trust Services for Electronic Transactions Regulations (2016/696) (EITSET Regulations) serve as the regulatory framework for UK trust services. The UK has not updated its trust services framework since 2016, apart from amending the regulations on EU exit to remove EU specific clauses and amending the EITSET Regulations under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

There are different types of trust services that offer various levels of security. Qualified trust services are the most secure form of trust services and provide the highest level of reassurance. Qualified trust service providers are the only providers that have been recognised as having met the specific requirements set out in the UK eIDAS Regulation. In accordance with these regulations, qualified trust service providers have undergone thorough assessments by approved and accredited conformity assessment bodies, to ensure they meet specific technical and security requirements. Qualified trust services also include a more robust identity verification process, and stronger security controls. In practice, this means that trust services provided by a qualified trust service provider can be relied upon for important and high-value transactions such as property transactions. As the UK’s digital economy grows, qualified trust services can provide a high level of technical security to support the demand for secure electronic transactions.

The EITSET Regulations have assigned the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as the supervisory authority under the UK eIDAS Regulation which supervises qualified trust services providers established in the UK.

Despite the established regulatory framework, there are no UK qualified trust service providers registered under the UK trusted list. We have limited evidence on businesses’ use of qualified trust services in the UK. Instead, the market relies heavily on qualified trust service providers certified in the EU. This is because the UK’s regulatory framework allows EU registered qualified trust service providers to operate as if they are UK-based.

DSIT launched a six-week call for views in August 2025 to gather views on use cases of qualified trust services and the barriers to adoption of trust services. One of the key aims was to understand whether the government should intervene to grow the presence of UK qualified trust service providers and the trust service market more broadly.

3. Scale of responses

The call for views targeted insights from organisations that either provide trust services or use them. Given the small number of responses (37) to the call for views, readers should not take insights from this research as representative of all relevant stakeholders. Instead, the results capture the perspectives of a limited group of stakeholders at a particular moment in time.

The call for views has nevertheless helped inform the government’s understanding of the sector. It has shown areas where further evidence would be useful as DSIT undertakes further policy development on trust services.

4. Overarching results and analysis

Market analysis

A section of the call for views asked organisations questions about the type of trust services they use or offer, and the reasons for the type of trust services offered. Full answers to the closed questions are in the Annex.

Support for government interventions to stimulate the trust service market

The call for views was designed to inform decisions on whether government action is needed to stimulate a qualified trust service market.

We asked if organisations think that the government should stimulate a qualified trust service market in the UK. We also asked if organisations think the government should act to increase the number of organisations offering UK-qualified trust services.

There was broad support for government intervention. Of the 29 organisations that responded, 66 percent (19) believed that the government should stimulate the qualified trust service market (Annex A, Question 12), and 59 percent (17) believed that the government should act to increase the number of organisations offering UK-qualified trust services. (Annex A, Question 13).

To further inform next steps for policy development, the call for views also asked a series of open questions for organisations to invite recommendations on interventions the government should take to encourage the adoption of qualified trust services in the UK. The next section details these suggestions and the government’s response to them. DSIT will now focus on collecting further evidence to assess and refine these suggested interventions.

5. Summary of responses

Reduce barriers to growth of the UK trust service market

The call for views included an open question to organisations on their views for why trust services adoption is low in the UK compared to the EU.

Some respondents noted there is low demand of trust services in the UK. Providers also cited barriers such as the regulatory complexity and the need for clearer guidance and pathways to becoming UK qualified. Some respondents also noted the cost of becoming qualified in both the EU and the UK’s regulatory systems.

Government response

We recognise that the current regulatory landscape ensures high levels of security, assurance and trustworthiness but involves regulatory costs and complexities which act as a barrier to growth of the UK market. We will take this feedback forward and consider what the government can do to address these barriers.

Boost the domestic market through raising public awareness and increasing public sector adoption.

The call for views asked an open question to organisations that supported government action to also suggest actions the government could take to stimulate the trust service market. Similarly, the call for views also included an open question inviting views on interventions from organisations who agreed the government should take action to increase the number of organisations offering qualified trust services. Organisations who disagreed that the government should act were invited to explain why they considered government action unnecessary. We received a low number of responses (2) from organisations who disagreed that government action is needed. These 2 responses highlighted the potential for government overreach or possible negative outcomes and argued that EU based qualified trust service providers already fulfil the market need.

Many respondents identified a lack of public awareness of trust services as a barrier to adoption. Some respondents noted the EU has more actively promoted adoption of qualified trust services to EU citizens and businesses. Respondents recommended that the government should run awareness campaigns highlighting the benefits of using trust services.

Many respondents also recommended the government help generate demand through increasing public sector adoption of trust services. Some respondents recommended mandating the use of trust services in certain use cases across the public sector and regulated industries.

Government response

Evidence from the DSIT’s sectoral analysis, suggests that trust services are supporting the digital transformation of UK services. We found that 34% of digital verification providers operating in the UK in 2023-2024 offered trust services. We recognise that qualified trust services could further support this adoption by providing additional reliability and security of electronic documents and transactions. Some public bodies have started working on the adoption of qualified trust services. For example, His Majesty’s Land Registry has actively engaged with the conveyancing sector as the sector integrates qualified e-signatures. This shift will give people greater flexibility and security in property transactions.

Based on the feedback, we will do further work to identify emerging use cases and understand where DSIT can support opportunities for public sector adoption.

Explore opportunities for further alignment with international standards and regulatory frameworks.

Despite not being asked explicitly about international alignment, many respondents also highlighted a strong need to have UK trust services recognised internationally across their responses to the open questions. Respondents viewed international interoperability as important in enabling UK qualified trust service providers to compete globally and for strengthening confidence in the UK trust service market. To support adoption, some respondents identified the need for the government to pursue mutual recognition with the EU for UK trust services.

Government response

The government acknowledges the feedback regarding the critical role of international alignment in growing the trust service sector. International interoperability and alignment with international frameworks will be important to enable UK trust service providers to thrive in an increasingly global digital economy. Considering this, the government will build on existing relationships with international partners to explore how UK trust services can be recognised globally, supporting UK providers to compete and grow in the international market.

Clarify connections between qualified trust service providers and registered digital verification services (DVS) providers.

Last year, DSIT commenced measures in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which brought the UK Digital Verification Services Trust Framework (the DVS trust framework) into legal force. The DVS trust framework is a set of requirements which sets out roles, principles, policies, procedures and standards – demonstrating what good digital identity services look like. Only a digital verification service provider which holds a certificate issued by an approved and accredited conformity assessment body confirming they are providing digital verification services in accordance with the DVS trust framework can appear on the register of Digital Identity and Attribute Services (DVS register). Upcoming updates to the DVS trust framework will allow registered digital verification service providers to use a trust mark so providers can distinguish their services in the market from those which are unregistered. Registered digital verification service providers who are certified against the 1.0 version of the DVS trust framework and sign the terms of and conditions of use of the trust mark, will be able to display the trust mark. Certification against the 1.0 version of the DVS trust framework is not available yet, but timings for certification against this new version were announced in the final release of the 1.0 trust framework. Together these measures enable the public to readily identify reputable digital verification service providers.

Currently, the UK eIDAS Regulation does not reference the use of registered digital verification service providers as a method for verifying identity when using qualified trust services. Therefore, the call for views asked whether government should make clear how qualified trust service providers can work with registered digital verification service providers. The call for views also asked for suggestions on what actions the government should take to make clearer how qualified trust service and digital verification service providers can work together.

Of the 28 organisations that responded, 82 percent (23) agreed that the government should make it clearer how qualified trust service providers can work with registered digital verification service providers. Respondents asked for the government to raise awareness and publish benefits for the integration of digital verification services and trust services into customer experiences. Many asked for guidelines and standards to support interoperability between registered digital verification services and qualified trust services. Feedback on what these guidelines should include varied. Respondents asked for clearer requirements, defined roles and responsibilities as well as the necessary assurance levels to support the compatibility of services.

Government response

We note the broad support for the government to provide clearer connections between the enabling legal framework for digital verification services and the regulatory framework for qualified trust services. Based on this feedback, we will gather further evidence on the benefits of and the barriers to integrating these regimes

6. Conclusion

Trust services can help to provide the security and reliability necessary to support the UK’s growing digital economy. We are grateful to all respondents who took the time to contribute to the call for views.

The call for views identified several barriers, as well as potential interventions to foster confidence and encourage adoption of trust services. We acknowledge the feedback given and in line with it, recognise the importance of providing regulatory clarity, enabling public sector adoption, and strengthening international interoperability.

The government is committed to enabling the adoption of trust services, we will now consider what can be done to support this. We will work with public bodies, the industry and international partners to encourage the adoption and interoperability of UK trust services.

Annex A: Closed question tables

Note: Question numbers included in this annex do not reflect their sequencing in the original survey.

Question 1: Is your organisation a trust service provider?

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Yes	49%	18
No	43%	16
Prefer not to say	5%	2
Don’t know	3%	1

Base: 37 respondents

Question 2: Does your organisation provide trust services in the UK?

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Yes	92%	11
No	8%	1

Base: 12 respondents

Question 3: What type of trust services does your organisation currently offer in the UK? (Choose all that apply)

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Simple	54%	7
Advanced	62%	8
Qualified	62%	8
Don’t Know	8%	1
Prefer not to say	8%	1

Base: 13 respondents

Question 4: Below, please indicate the ‘Simple’ trust services your organisation offers in the UK. (Choose all that apply)

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Simple E-signature	83%	5
Simple E-seal	33%	2
Other	17%	1

Base: 6 respondents

Question 5: Below, please indicate the ‘Advanced’ trust services your organisation offers in the UK. (Choose all that apply)

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Advanced E-seal	71%	5
Advanced E-signature	71%	5
Other	14%	1

Base: 7 respondents

Question 6: Below, please indicate the ‘Qualified’ trust services your organisation offers in the UK. (Choose all that apply)

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Qualified E-signature	67%	4
Qualified E-seal	50%	3
Qualified Timestamp	50%	3
Qualified Delivery Service	33%	2
Other	17%	1

Base: 6 respondents

Question 7: Is your organisation registered as a qualified trust service provider (QTSP)?

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Yes	23%	7
No	68%	21
Don’t Know	3%	1
Prefer not to say	6%	2

Base: 31 respondents

Question 8: Where is your organisation registered as a QTSP?

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
EU	100%	6

Base: 6 respondents

Question 9: Does your organisation use trust services?

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Yes	63%	12
No	26%	5
Prefer not to say	11%	2

Base: 19 respondents

Question 10: How long has your organisation used trust services for?

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Less than 1 year	10%	1
1-2 years	20%	2
2-3 years	10%	1
More than 5 years	60%	6

Base: 10 respondents

Question 11: Why has your organisation chosen to spend money on using trust services? (Choose all that apply)

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Increased efficiency	75%	6
Protection against fraud	75%	6
Increased document security	63%	5
Trade benefit	38%	3
Other	38%	3

Base: 8 respondents

Question 12: Does your organisation think that the government should take action to stimulate a qualified trust services market in the UK?

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Yes	66%	19
No	17%	5
Don’t know	14%	4
Prefer not to say	3%	1

Base: 29 respondents

Question 13: Does your organisation think that the government should take action to increase the number of organisations offering services of UK-registered QTSPs?

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Yes	59%	17
No	21%	6
Don’t know	17%	5
Prefer not to say	3%	1

Base: 29 respondents

Question 14: Does your organisation think that the government should make clear how QTSPs can work with registered DVS providers?

Response	Percentage of respondents	Count
Yes	82%	23
No	4%	1
Don’t know	7%	2
Prefer not to say	7%	2

Base: 28 respondents