PKI & Digital Signature Solutions for the GCC
DictaLabs is a PKI, digital signature and certificate management company. For digital signatures in the GCC, we offer PKI software and consulting from our US office in Middletown, Delaware.
Legal framework
What GCC laws say about electronic signatures
Each GCC state has its own electronic transactions law, with its own authorities and exceptions. Where an official English text exists, it is a translation.
UAE: Decree-Law No. 46 of 2021
Federal Decree-Law No. 46 of 2021 on Electronic Transactions and Trust Services was issued on 20 September 2021. Article 5 says an electronic document is not without legal effect merely because it is electronic. Under Article 18, a Qualified E-Signature is “equally authentic to a handwritten signature” when it meets the law’s conditions.
UAE: TDRA and trust services
Under Article 15, no person may provide trust services without a licence from TDRA, and qualified trust services also need qualified status. Article 4 makes TDRA responsible for the UAE Trust List. Article 17 lists services such as website authentication certificates and qualified electronic time stamps.
The Electronic Transactions Law was issued by Royal Decree No. M/18 of 1428H (27 March 2007). The Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers publishes an official English translation. Read it before you plan a signing or certificate project in the Kingdom.
The Electronic Transactions and Commerce Law is dated 19 August 2010. Article 28 gives an electronic signature evidential weight when its creation data is linked to the signatory alone and under their sole control at signing, and later changes are detectable. Article 3 excludes some documents, such as family and personal status documents and negotiable instruments.
The Kingdom’s national portal says Decree No. 54 of 2018 issued the Law on Electronic Communications and Transactions. Decree No. 45 of 2021 named the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) as the competent administrative body.
Oman’s first Electronic Transactions Law was issued by Royal Decree 69/2008. The Ministry of Transport, Communications and IT now lists an Electronic Transactions Law issued by Royal Decree No. 39/2025, with a section on trust services. In Kuwait, the Central Bank says Law No. 20 of 2014 concerning electronic transactions gave it oversight of electronic payment of funds.
Licensing decisions belong to each national authority. This page is general information, not legal advice. Check your documents with a local lawyer.
Products
DictaLabs products for PKI projects in the GCC
DictaLabs builds software for PKI and digital signatures. Organisations in the GCC can use it to run a certificate authority, sign documents, add trusted timestamps, manage certificates and protect keys in HSMs.
An enterprise certificate authority platform with HSM-backed keys. Certificate and CRL profiles follow RFC 5280, and OCSP provides certificate status.
Certificate lifecycle management across multiple CA platforms. It discovers and renews certificates, with ACME, SCEP and EST support.
Digital signatures and signing workflows. Teams can replace paper sign-offs with digitally signed documents.
Trusted timestamping based on RFC 3161 and RFC 5816, with ETSI EN 319 421/422 among its listed standards. A timestamp shows when digital data existed.
A central, HSM-backed cryptographic service with REST APIs and PKCS#11 integration, so applications do not handle keys directly.
New to PKI? Start with the PKI resources hub.
Services
PKI consulting and security services
DictaLabs also offers services around PKI. They cover PKI design, trust service documentation, identity and application security.
PKI development and consulting, including managed PKI for teams that would rather not run a CA themselves.
PKI architecture, CP/CPS documentation to RFC 3647, audit readiness for eIDAS and CA/Browser Forum requirements, and Common Criteria readiness support.
SSO and passwordless sign-in using SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0 and FIDO2.
Application security assessments of the software around your keys and certificates.
Working across regions? See our pages on eIDAS trust services in Europe, digital signatures in the USA and digital signatures in Pakistan.
Use cases
Typical PKI use cases in the GCC
These are typical use cases for PKI and digital signatures. They are examples, not a client list.
Public bodies handle large volumes of forms and approvals. They can sign them digitally and add trusted timestamps to show when each record was signed.
Banks and payment firms can keep signing keys in HSMs behind one central service, and secure APIs with certificates from a private CA. Automated renewal stops certificates expiring unnoticed.
A company planning to apply for a trust service licence, for example under the UAE law, needs a CA design, HSM-backed keys and CP/CPS documents first.
The UAE law lists qualified electronic time stamps as a qualified trust service. Any organisation can use RFC 3161 timestamps internally to prove when a record existed.
Does your use case look different? Tell us about it.
Contact
How to work with DictaLabs from the GCC
DictaLabs has no office in the GCC. Organisations in the region can contact our US office by email, phone or the contact form.
Write to info@dictalabs.com with a short description of your project.
651 N Broad St, Suite 201, Middletown, DE 19709, USA. Phone +1 352-451-6005.
A short list helps us prepare:
- The countries where you sign or issue certificates
- What you need to sign, issue or protect
- Your current CAs and HSMs
- Any audit, licence or go-live dates
Send these details through the contact page and we can plan the first call.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Yes, within the law’s conditions. Under Article 5 of Federal Decree-Law No. 46 of 2021, an electronic document is not without legal effect merely because it is electronic. Under Article 18, a Qualified E-Signature is deemed equally authentic to a handwritten signature when it meets the law’s conditions.
TDRA. Article 15 of Decree-Law No. 46 of 2021 says no person may provide trust services without a TDRA licence, and qualified trust services also need qualified status. Article 4 makes TDRA responsible for the UAE Trust List.
Decree Law No. 16 of 2010 gives an electronic signature evidential weight when the conditions in Article 28 are met. Article 32 says a signature is legally effective regardless of where it was created or used. Article 3 excludes some documents, such as family and personal status documents and negotiable instruments.
According to Bahrain’s national portal, Decree No. 45 of 2021 named the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) as the administrative body competent in the Law on Electronic Communications and Transactions, issued by Decree No. 54 of 2018.
No. Organisations in the GCC can contact our US office at 651 N Broad St, Suite 201, Middletown, DE 19709, USA, call +1 352-451-6005 or email info@dictalabs.com.
With software and consulting. Our products cover certificates, signing, timestamps and keys. Our consulting covers PKI architecture and CP/CPS documents based on RFC 3647.
Sources
Official sources
- Federal Decree-Law No. 46 of 2021 on Electronic Transactions and Trust Services (English translation), TDRA
- Electronic Transactions Law, Royal Decree No. M/18 (official translation), Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
- Decree Law No. 16 of 2010 Promulgating the Electronic Transactions and Commerce Law, Al Meezan (Qatar Legal Portal)
- Electronic Transactions & Signatures, Bahrain National Portal
- Decrees, Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA), Bahrain
- Electronic Transactions Law (Royal Decree 69/2008), Omanuna official portal
- Electronic Transactions Law (Royal Decree No. 39/2025), Ministry of Transport, Communications and IT, Oman
- Payment Systems Oversight (Law No. 20 of 2014), Central Bank of Kuwait
Plan your PKI project for the GCC
Talk to DictaLabs about PKI, digital signatures or certificate management in the GCC. Email info@dictalabs.com or call +1 352-451-6005.