De-Mail aims to create a secure communications infrastructure for citizens, companies and administrative bodies.

If De-Mail is to succeed, it is critical that De-Mail service providers actually deliver the security that they promise. The BSI brings its core competencies to bear here by setting out binding specifications for implementing the service in Technical Guideline TR-01201 De-Mail; it is also responsible for the process to accredit De-Mail service providers. As such, it makes an important contribution to achieving a secure and reliable De-Mail infrastructure and, therefore, confidential and legally binding electronic communications.

De-Mail makes it easy to implement basic security functions to ensure electronic messages are exchanged securely. Where parties wish to introduce extra security technologies to achieve an even higher security level, De-Mail offers straightforward support. And it goes without saying that electronic signatures and end-to-end encryption can also be used within the De-Mail framework.

De-Mail Act

The legal foundation for accreditation (approval) as a De-Mail service provider is the "Act governing De-Mail services and amending other regulations" ("Gesetz zur Regelung von De-Mail-Diensten und zur Änderung weiterer Vorschriften"). The Federal Cabinet adopted the draft on 13 October 2010, while the Federal Government's draft law was published on 8 November 2010 (BT-DrS. 17/3630). The "Act governing De-Mail services and amending other regulations of 28 April 2011" ("Gesetz zur Regelung von De-Mail-Diensten und zur Änderung weiterer Vorschriften vom 28. April 2011") ("De-Mail Act") was published in the Federal Law Gazette 2011 Part I No. 19, issued on 2 May 2011.
Gesetz zur Regelung von De-Mail-Diensten und zur Änderung weiterer Vorschriften vom 28. April 2011

E-Government Act

The "Act to promote electronic government and amend other regulations" ("E-Government Act") permits the use of De-Mail to replace the written form in certain administrative records. The Bundestag adopted the draft law (BT-DrS. 17/11473) on 18 April 2013, with Bundestag consent following on 7 June 2013. The "Act to promote electronic government and amend other regulations of 25 July 2013" ("E-Government Act") was published
in the Federal Law Gazette 2013 Part I No. 43, issued on 31 July 2013.