A Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) under eIDAS is not automatically legally binding in the US. US electronic signature law (ESIGN, UETA) is technology-neutral: it recognises electronic signatures that meet the consent and intent criteria, regardless of whether they are QES or simpler electronic signatures. A QES is a technically strong form of electronic signature — backed by a validated identity certificate and audit trail — but for it to be legally binding in a US context, the parties must agree to use electronic signatures (meeting the ESIGN/UETA consent requirement), and the signature must meet any specific requirements of the contract type (some contracts require specific signature forms under applicable state law). In practice, for commercial contracts between EU and US counterparties, QES signatures in PDFs are generally accepted as legally binding when both parties have consented to electronic execution — but this is a legal question dependent on the specific transaction.

NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) is the US government agency responsible for the management of federal records and the preservation of permanently valuable government records. NARA publishes format guidance (Transfer Guidance for Electronic Records) that specifies which file formats are acceptable for permanent federal records transfers. NARA's guidance listing PDF/A as a preferred format effectively mandates PDF/A use for permanent electronic records across federal agencies. Federal contractors and third-party service providers working with federal records must align with NARA guidance. State archives and other government archives often look to NARA guidance as a model for their own format policies.