An authoritative, machine-readable registry maintained by each Member State listing all qualified trust service providers and their services, forming the backbone of the eIDAS trust model.
A Trusted List is an authoritative, publicly available, machine-readable registry maintained by the supervisory body of each EU Member State that contains information about the trust service providers under its supervision, including their qualified status and the specific qualified trust services they offer. Under eIDAS, the Trusted Lists are the definitive source for determining whether a trust service provider holds qualified status and which of its services are qualified. The European Commission aggregates all national Trusted Lists into a List of Trusted Lists, providing a single entry point for verifiers to check the qualified status of any trust service provider across the EU.
Trusted Lists are published in a standardised format (ETSI TS 119 612) that enables automated processing, allowing relying party systems to programmatically verify qualified status during signature validation, seal verification, or credential checking. Under eIDAS 2.0, the role of Trusted Lists is expected to expand to cover new trust services, including electronic attestation of attributes and electronic archiving.
The Trusted Lists will also play a role in the wallet ecosystem, as verifiers need to confirm that credential issuers (particularly QTSPs issuing QEAAs) hold valid qualified status. For organisations implementing signature validation, credential verification, or relying party services, integrating with the Trusted Lists is a fundamental requirement. It enables automated, real-time verification of the qualified status of trust services and providers without manual checks.
Many existing signature validation solutions already incorporate Trusted List checking, but organisations building new wallet-based verification systems will need to ensure their implementations include this critical trust anchor.
Related Terms
Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP)
An entity granted qualified status by a national supervisory body, authorised to issue qualified certificates, signatures, seals, timestamps, and electronic attestations of attributes under eIDAS.
Trust ServicesSupervisory Body
The national authority designated by each Member State to oversee trust service providers, ensure compliance with eIDAS requirements, and maintain the national Trusted List.
GovernanceQualified Electronic Attestation of Attributes (QEAA)
An electronic attestation of attributes issued by a QTSP, carrying a legal presumption of accuracy and cross-border validity equivalent to a legally issued attestation in paper form.
Trust ServicesConformity Assessment
The formal evaluation process, performed by an accredited body, that verifies whether a trust service provider or wallet implementation meets the regulatory and technical requirements of eIDAS.
Governance