A preservation service according to the eIDAS Regulation is "an electronic service which is normally provided for remuneration" and which enables "the preservation of electronic signatures, seals or certificates relating to these services". In this context, chap. (5) of the "COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2015/1506 of 8 September 2015 laying down specifications for formats of advanced electronic signatures and advanced seals, ..." states: "As the forms for long-term archiving of the reference formats are currently being revised by the standardisation bodies, standards for long-term archiving are excluded from the scope of this Decision". The BSI is currently represented in the current European standardisation and technical committees regarding the signature/seal formats and the preservation service.

In Germany, a far-reaching digitisation of the federal authorities by 2020 is stipulated by the so-called E-Government-Act. Equivalent measures have already been implemented or are expected for the authorities of the Länder and municipalities. The BSI's Technical Guideline BSI TR-03125 (TR-ESOR) is considered state of the art. The primary area of application of the BSI TR-03125 is therefore the federal and state authorities within the framework of the legal retention obligations. In addition, the technical guideline has a recommendatory character.