Document timestamping: proof of existence
Timestamp a document nowTimestamping
A timestamp is one of the simplest and least expensive records you can create. It documents that a file existed in exactly this form before the timestamped Bitcoin block, useful long before a dispute, and often helpful once there is one.
Copyright, know-how, designs in progress, draft specifications, source code, contract versions: much of what matters to a business is never entered in any register. If ownership or priority is questioned later, the argument turns on what you can prove about the file and the date. A cryptographic timestamp helps address that question without disclosing the document itself.
Your document never leaves your device. Your browser derives a fingerprint from it (a short string that cannot be reversed back into the file), and a cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint is anchored in the Bitcoin blockchain. Anyone can later check a copy of the document against the fingerprint, but nobody can reconstruct the content from it.
The result is a certificate you keep alongside the file and can produce in negotiations, in an ownership dispute, or before a court, where its weight is assessed case by case. It does not replace registration where registration exists (a trademark or a patent still has to be filed), but for everything that lives outside a register, it gives your account of the timeline something concrete to rest on.
Official sources (English unless indicated): OpenTimestamps: proof and verification.
How it works
Choose your document
It stays on your device. The file itself is never uploaded.
A fingerprint is computed
Your browser derives a unique cryptographic fingerprint from the file.
The fingerprint is timestamped
After payment, the fingerprint is anchored in the Bitcoin blockchain.
You receive a certificate
Receive the PDF certificate and .ots proof by e-mail after confirmation. Keep both with your original file.
Timestamp a document
11-30 documents
CHF 15one-time payment31-100 documents
CHF 30one-time paymentThe price applies to all documents submitted together. No subscription, no automatic renewal and no unused credits to carry forward. One PDF certificate and one .ots proof file per document. Prices include VAT.
Choose up to 100 files, enter your e-mail address and select a certificate language. Your browser calculates each fingerprint locally. Pay once on Stripe’s secure checkout; your certificates and proof files arrive by e-mail after Bitcoin confirmation.
CHF 5 for 1-10 documents · CHF 15 for 11-30 · CHF 30 for 31-100.
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Existing subscribers: use your subscription e-mail address to access your remaining paid term.
Submitting takes a few minutes. Certificates and .ots proof files are sent by e-mail after Bitcoin confirmation, usually within a few hours; confirmation can take longer. Keep the original files unchanged together with their proofs.
View a sample certificate (PDF)
Timestamping records that a file existed at a point in time. It does not by itself establish who created the work or what rights attach to it: we advise on that separately.
Timestamping - common questions
What exactly does a timestamp prove?
A confirmed OpenTimestamps proof can demonstrate that the exact file existed before the relevant Bitcoin block. It does not establish the file’s precise creation time, the identity of its author, ownership or the truth of its contents. Verification requires the unchanged original file and the proof; the evidential weight in a dispute is assessed case by case.
Is my document uploaded anywhere?
The document itself stays on your device. We receive its fingerprint and your e-mail address; file names and sizes are also sent unless you choose fingerprints only.
Will a court accept it?
A timestamp can be verified independently by anyone, without relying on us. It is not a legally prescribed form of proof, however: what weight it carries is for a court to assess freely in each individual case. It is evidence, and good evidence, not a certificate of title.
When is a timestamp the right tool?
For everything that matters to your business and is not in any register: source code, design work in progress, draft specifications, know-how, contract versions, research data, creative work. Where a register exists (trademarks, patents, designs), the registration is the stronger right and a timestamp does not replace it.
How long does it take?
Submitting takes a few minutes. Certificates and .ots proof files are sent by e-mail after Bitcoin confirmation, usually within a few hours; confirmation can take longer. Keep the original files unchanged together with their proofs.
How much does timestamping cost?
A one-time payment per submission: CHF 5 for 1-10 documents, CHF 15 for 11-30 documents or CHF 30 for 31-100 documents. Submit all files together. No subscription or credit balance.
What must I keep after timestamping?
Keep the original file - the certificate alone is not enough. Save all three together: your original, unchanged file, the PDF certificate and the .ots proof file. You need the exact original file to verify the timestamp. We do not store your document and cannot recover it for you.
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