Commfides
Commfides is a Norwegian eIDAS-qualified trust service provider founded in 2005 that issues PKI-based digital certificates, qualified electronic signatures and seals, SSL/TLS, and e-ID solutions for Norwegian businesses, government agencies, and individuals accessing public services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersLysaker, Norway
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Commfides does
Commfides Norge AS is a Norwegian Qualified Trusted Service Provider founded in 2005 and headquartered in Lysaker, operating in the digital trust and electronic identity segment. The company issues PKI-based digital certificates including Business Certificates (Virksomhetssertifikat/eSeal), EU Qualified eSeals on QSCD smart cards, Employee e-IDs, Private e-IDs, and SSL/TLS certificates, and operates supporting infrastructure including the SSL Portal, E-ID Portal, the Ascertia-powered Signeringsporten for document signing, and CertPub for PEPPOL-based business messaging. Technology rests on Commfides Certificate Authority G3 infrastructure compliant with eIDAS, supporting X.509 standards, SHA-256/SHA-512, RSA and elliptic curve cryptography, with ACME-based automation for SSL/TLS lifecycle management.
Commfides generates revenue through multi-year certificate subscriptions (e.g., Organization Certificate at 6,200 NOK / 3 years, QSeal at 7,500 NOK / year), SSL/TLS certificate resale from world-leading providers via the free SSL Portal, hardware sales (smart cards and readers), professional services for migration support (notably from Buypass), and per-signature usage fees on Signeringsporten. Go-to-market combines self-service web portals for SMBs and individuals with dedicated account management for enterprise and government customers, plus a reseller channel through the SSL Portal. Customers span Norwegian businesses, public agencies (notably UDI and now Digdir), IT services firms (CGI, ATEA, Tietoevry), financial institutions, and educational institutions; Commfides Private e-ID provides access to over 4,000 Norwegian public services via ID-porten.
The company holds eIDAS QTSP status with listing on the EU Trusted List, ISO 27001 certification audited annually by DNV, and NKOM authorization for electronic identity issuance. In May 2026, Commfides, partnered with Mobai AS, won a Digdir contract to deliver a Digital ID-kontroll solution for Norway's MinID system, marking entry into biometric identity verification. All customer data is processed and stored in Norwegian data centers within the EU/EES, addressing data sovereignty requirements. The company operates with 11-50 employees and is privately held with no disclosed external funding.
Commfides firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Commfides
- Legal name
- Commfides Norge AS
- Website
- https://commfides.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Commfides is a Norwegian eIDAS-qualified trust service provider founded in 2005 that issues PKI-based digital certificates, qualified electronic signatures and seals, SSL/TLS, and e-ID solutions for Norwegian businesses, government agencies, and individuals accessing public services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Commfides industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Trust Services
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210), Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Services, Nec (8900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Device Identity & Certificate-Based Authentication (PKI) (BPAMAEAL)
Keywords
Where Commfides is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lysaker
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Commfides business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Digital Certificate Subscriptions: Annual subscription model for enterprise/person/organization certificates including Private e-ID (1180 NOK), Organization Certificate (6200 NOK/3 years), and EU Qualified e-Seal QSeal (7500 NOK/year). Includes hardware (smart card, card reader) and PKI services.
- SSL/TLS Certificate Sales: Transaction-based SSL/TLS certificate sales through SSL Portal with pricing from world-leading providers. Includes automated ACME protocol support for certificate issuance and renewal.
- Test Certificates: One-time and recurring revenue from test certificates for SEID 2.0 (3100 SEK for 3 years, 4000 SEK for 5 years) used for development and integration testing.
- Professional Services - Migration Support: Consulting and migration services for customers transitioning from Buypass SSL/TLS to Commfides, including guidance and customer support.
- Hardware Sales: Smart card readers and smart cards with embedded QSCD for qualified electronic signatures and seals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | Private e-ID - Personal digital identity for public services |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Organization Certificate / e-Sigill Standard |
| Subscription | Annual | EU Qualified e-Seal (QSeal/QSCD) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Test Organization Certificate |
| Usage-based | Annual | SSL/TLS Certificates |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Commfides product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Commfides is a Norwegian Qualified Trusted Service Provider (QTSP) that issues PKI-based digital certificates and electronic identity solutions. Its core offerings include business certificates (e-Seals), EU-qualified electronic seals (QSeal) on smart cards, employee e-IDs, personal e-IDs for Norwegian public services, SSL/TLS certificates, a digital signing platform (Signeringsporten), and CertPub for PEPPOL-based secure business communication.
Product overview
Commfides is a Norwegian Qualified Trusted Service Provider (QTSP) offering a comprehensive digital certificate and electronic ID ecosystem. The portfolio centers on PKI-based solutions including Business Certificates/eSeals (Virksomhetssertifikat) for organizational digital identity, EU Qualified eSeals (QSeal) for highest legal security per eIDAS, Employee e-ID for work-role authentication, and Private e-ID for personal government service access. Supporting infrastructure includes SSL/TLS certificates managed via SSL Portal, the Signeringsporten digital signing platform (powered by Ascertia), and CertPub for PEPPOL-based secure business communication. The Digital ID-kontroll solution, developed with Mobai AS, provides biometric identity verification for MinID issuance. The E-ID Portal serves as the management interface for ordering and administering certificates.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Virksomhetssertifikat (Business Certificate / eSeal) Organization certificate that serves as a company's digital identity and stamp for digital reporting to Norwegian public authorities, authentication against government APIs (Maskinporten), digital signing of documents and invoices, and secure machine-to-machine communication. Meets EU eIDAS requirements.
- EU Qualified e-Seal (QSeal / QSCD)
Quantifiable outcome
- Access to over 4,000 public services in Norway via ID-porten
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Commfides
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Commfides technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration15 records
Feature5 records
Commfides partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Mobai AScorePartnership for digital ID control solution for Norway's national digital ID system MinID. Mobai provides face biometrics and liveness detection while Commfides provides e-ID infrastructure. The solution enables simple, fully digital identity verification for MinID issuance, combining document control with facial biometrics to ensure the person is who they claim to be.
- Bits (Bank- og finansnæringens infrastrukturselskap)coreCollaborative development of CertPub service on initiative from Norwegian Digitalisation Agency and Bits. CertPub is a Norwegian service simplifying and securing communication and transactions between businesses using PEPPOL standard for secure file transfer.
- Norwegian Digitalisation Agency (Digdir)coreCommfides collaborates with Digdir on digital ID infrastructure, including the recent contract win for MinID digital ID control solution. Also developed CertPub on initiative from Digdir and Bits for secure business communication.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Commfides competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Buypass AS: Norwegian QTSP and Commfides' principal domestic competitor in qualified e-ID, e-signatures, and SSL/TLS. Closest comparable as the incumbent whose customer base Commfides is actively migrating.
- Signicat AS: Nordic digital identity and electronic signature platform serving the same enterprise and public-sector customers in Norway/Sweden with comparable eIDAS-aligned trust services and broader SaaS identity orchestration.
Broad incumbents
- Sectigo: Major global CA issuing SSL/TLS and enterprise certificates — comparable as one of the 'world-leading providers' Commfides resells SSL/TLS from and competes with for non-qualified certificate business.
- DocuSign: Global e-signature platform with eIDAS-qualified offerings — adjacent comparable in electronic signatures and digital workflow, but operating as a broader SaaS contract platform rather than a pure-play PKI/QTSP.
- DigiCert: Global market leader in SSL/TLS and enterprise PKI — comparable on certificate authority infrastructure and SSL/TLS portfolio, but operates at vastly larger scale with broader enterprise focus.
- Entrust Corporation: PKI, digital signing, and identity solutions vendor with comparable eIDAS-qualified offerings and SSL/TLS certificate business, operating globally across enterprise and government.
- GlobalSign (GMO GlobalSign): Established PKI/SSL provider with eIDAS-qualified trust services in the EU — directly comparable on qualified digital signatures and certificate authority offerings, with broader geographic reach.
Regional players
- SwissSign Group: Swiss eIDAS QTSP providing qualified electronic signatures, seals, and certificates — comparable on qualified PKI offerings and EU Trusted List status, but anchored in the Swiss/German-speaking market.
- InfoCert (Tinexta Group): Major Italian/European eIDAS QTSP offering qualified digital signatures, e-seals, and certified email — comparable regulatory positioning in EU qualified trust services, but focused on Southern European markets.
Emerging players
- Cybernetica AS: Estonian QTSP and developer of national digital identity infrastructure (eID, Smart-ID) — comparable as a smaller European QTSP building sovereign digital identity solutions for national scale deployments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Commfides social profiles
Digital presenceCommfides compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Commfides financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Commfides leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Commfides funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Commfides M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Commfides
What does Commfides do?
Commfides is a Norwegian Qualified Trusted Service Provider (QTSP) that issues PKI-based digital certificates and electronic identity solutions. Its core offerings include business certificates (e-Seals), EU-qualified electronic seals (QSeal) on smart cards, employee e-IDs, personal e-IDs for Norwegian public services, SSL/TLS certificates, a digital signing platform (Signeringsporten), and CertPub for PEPPOL-based secure business communication.
Is Commfides a public or private company?
Commfides is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Commfides founded?
Commfides was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Commfides based?
Commfides is headquartered in Lysaker, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Commfides make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Digital Certificate Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are SSL/TLS Certificate Sales, test Certificates, professional Services - Migration Support and hardware Sales.
Who are Commfides's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Buypass AS and Signicat AS. Broad incumbents are Sectigo, DocuSign, DigiCert, Entrust Corporation and GlobalSign (GMO GlobalSign). Regional players are SwissSign Group and InfoCert (Tinexta Group). Cybernetica AS is listed as an emerging player.
Does Commfides have an API?
Yes. Commfides offers API-based solutions for automated SSL/TLS certificate issuance and renewal via ACME (Automated Certificate Management Environment) protocol. This enables programmatic certificate management including ordering, domain control validation (DCV), installation, and renewal. SSL Portal supports both traditional certificate management and ACME-based solutions. Maskinporten APIs from public authorities require Business Certificate authentication for secure data exchange. Developer documentation is at epki.commfides.com.
What industry is Commfides in?
Commfides's product category is Digital Trust Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAEAL, Device Identity & Certificate-Based Authentication (PKI). Its NAICS code is 518210 and its SIC code is 7370.