Registered Email vs. Link Delivery: When to Prove Delivery and When to Prove Access

The Evolution of Digital Evidence: Beyond Delivery

Registered email has become the digital alternative to the traditional burofax, providing legally valid electronic communications that certify the origin, content, and delivery of a message. This service, part of the Electronic Registered Delivery Services (ERDS) defined under EU Regulation eIDAS (910/2014), transforms standard email — historically weak as legal evidence — into a solid, verifiable proof in any administrative or judicial proceeding.

The email protocol (SMTP) was not designed to certify whether a message was read, but in most cases there is no need to prove reading: it is enough to demonstrate that the message was correctly sent, with its full content, and made available to the recipient.

For situations where it is useful or necessary to prove active access to a message, eEvidence also offers link-based registered delivery, a complementary option designed to record when a recipient opens or downloads the content.

Registered Email: Proof of Content and Server Delivery

The registered email service focuses on providing irrefutable evidence of what was sent (complete content), to whom it was addressed, and when it was sent and made available.

What Registered Email Certifies:

• Delivery to the Recipient’s Server: certifies that the message was received by the recipient’s mail server. This is proven through a delivery acknowledgment (such as the SMTP 250 OK response) issued by the destination server.
• Unaltered Content: creates an electronic fingerprint (cryptographic hash) of the message and attachments, ensuring their integrity.
• Full Probative Value: generates a certificate of evidence (the eEvid) that is digitally signed and timestamped, ensuring long-term validity (LTV).

In most cases, registered email is the most efficient and sufficient channel to meet the legal requirements for reliable communication.

Link Delivery: Proving Access and Download

Link-based registered delivery is an alternative delivery channel that allows you to record the recipient’s access to a communication or document.

What Link Delivery Certifies:

• Access (Opening): records when the recipient accesses the content, thus proving the opening of the message.
• File Download: if the communication includes attachments, it also certifies when they are downloaded.

Additional Advantage: Handling Large Files

Link delivery avoids the file size limits imposed by major email providers (such as Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo), which restrict attachments to around 25 MB per message. By sending the content via a secure download link, this limitation disappears, allowing larger files to be delivered with full traceability.

When to Use It: when it’s important to prove that the recipient accessed or downloaded the content, or when the size of the communication exceeds typical email limits.

When Is Each Channel More Appropriate?

Both methods are valid and secure. The choice depends on the nature of the communication and the type of evidence required.

The Ultimate Strategy: Channel Complementarity

Far from competing, both delivery channels complement each other.

Registered email provides legal validity and technical traceability in most use cases, while link delivery adds the ability to prove access when needed.

One Unified Solution for Every Scenario:

• Many organizations choose to use both channels simultaneously — sending a registered email and, in parallel, the same document via link delivery.
• This approach ensures complete traceability: if the recipient does not access the link, eEvidence still certifies the delivery of the communication via registered email.

This flexibility allows each company to tailor its level of traceability according to its operational or legal needs, without sacrificing efficiency or reliability.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Does Link Delivery Have the Same Legal Validity as Registered Email?

Yes. Both channels fall under the Electronic Registered Delivery Services (ERDS) defined by the eIDAS Regulation and generate digitally signed, verifiable evidence.

Can I Use Both Channels at the Same Time?

Yes — and it’s often the best approach for maximum traceability. Registered email certifies the sending and delivery, while link delivery can additionally prove access.

Which Channel Is Better for Confidential Documents?

Link delivery is particularly useful for confidential communications, since the document isn’t attached to the email but stored securely in a controlled-access environment.

Can Accessing the Link Be Considered Proof of Reading?

Yes. When the recipient accesses or downloads the content, a timestamped technical record is created, serving as proof of opening.

Are These Channels Purchased Separately or Priced Differently?

No. Link delivery and registered email are two complementary channels of the same registered delivery service, and are included in all paid plans at no extra cost. Using one or the other simply consumes deliveries from your existing plan — the choice is entirely up to you.

Conclusion

Registered email remains the most efficient and reliable standard for legally valid electronic communications, offering full legal value and technical traceability.

Link delivery, meanwhile, extends those capabilities by adding evidence of access or download — particularly valuable for certain use cases or large-file exchanges.

Used separately or together, both methods guarantee secure, traceable, and legally compliant digital communications.

With eEvidence, organizations can choose the exact level of evidence they need — always maintaining maximum reliability and full eIDAS compliance.