What is a certified email?
A certified email is a special type of email that represents the electronic equivalent of traditional registered mail. Certified email services allow you to legally prove the sending and receiving of a specific email message.
This type of email is widely used in Italy (PEC, or Posta Elettronica Certificata), but it is also available in Switzerland, Germany, and Hong Kong. However, efforts are being made to make it valid within the European Union.
How does it work?
A certified email is an email that has been verified by the sender as being delivered to the intended recipient. This is done by using a registered mail service, which provides proof of delivery and can track the status of the email.
When you send a certified email, the email service provider will add a digital signature and time stamp to the email. The digital signature is used to verify that the email has not been tampered with and that it was indeed sent by you. On the other hand, the time stamp proves that the email existed at the time that it was signed. This is important because it can be used to prove that you sent the email before a certain event occurred, or that you received the email after a certain event occurred.
The certified email will also have a unique ID number that is used to track the email. This ID number can be used to look up the certified email in the email service provider’s database.
Once the certified email has been sent, the sender receives 3 receipts:
- the first message confirms that the system has taken charge of the email;
- the second message confirms that the email has been delivered;
- the third message confirms that the recipient has opened the email.
The trusted third party (TTP) that offers the certified email service will keep a record of the email in their database.
Benefits of using certified email
There are many benefits to using certified email, especially for businesses. Here are some of the most important ones:
- A legally valid proof of delivery
There are many advantages to using this type of email, but the most important one is that it provides a legal way to prove the sending and receiving of an email. This can be important in a variety of situations, such as when signing a contract or agreement, or when interacting with the public administration. Indeed, if you send a certified email and you have the first two receipts, the recipient cannot in any way declare that they have not received the message. It doesn’t matter that they weren’t home when it arrived, or that their mailbox was down (or if they were trying to ignore the message). No excuses are allowed. This gives power to you and clarity to the communication.
In other words, certified emails are legally binding and they can be used as evidence in a court of law. - Temporal certainty
These emails can also be useful to prove that an email was sent before or after a certain event. This can be important in situations where time is of the essence, such as when sending a notice of termination or a notice of default. - Privacy and security
When you send a certified email, the contents of the email are encrypted and can only be decrypted by the intended recipient. So, even if the email is intercepted, the contents cannot be read by anyone other than the intended recipient. The fact that these emails are encrypted (and can be password-protected) ensures a higher level of security. This makes them ideal for businesses that need to send confidential information. If you’re sending sensitive or confidential information, with certified email the information stays safe. - Better organization
Certified email helps you keep your business organized. By tracking the status of your emails, you can easily see which ones have been delivered, which ones have been opened and which not. This can help you follow up with customers promptly, troubleshoot a problem, or track down a leak. - Ease of use
A certified email account works like a normal email account. The interface is also generally very similar. The only difference is that the certified mail account can only handle certified mail and cannot be used to send ordinary mail. However, this also means that it is less prone to spam emails.
How to activate a certified account
If you’re interested in using certified email for your business, the first step is to activate an account with a certified email provider. This will give you access to the system and allow you to start sending certified messages.
When choosing a certified email provider, it’s important to make sure that they are reputable and offer a good quality service. You should also check that the provider offers customer support in case you have any problems.
If you want to open a certified mail account valid in Italy, Namirial has the solution for you. Visit the page dedicated to the PEC Namirial (at the moment available only in Italian).
