What is the EDOC file format?
Files with the .edoc extension hold digitally certified documents. .edoc is a single- or multi-document file signed digitally. The Electronically Certified Document format is developed and maintained by LVRTC (Latvia State Radio and Television Centre) within the eParaksts national e-signature ecosystem, and is commonly used in Latvia.
Under the hood, an .edoc file is an .asice container - a ZIP-based archive conforming to ETSI EN 319 162 - with XAdES digital signatures embedded inside. The standard allows a single file to hold:
- one or more signed documents in popular formats such as
.doc, .docx, .pdf,.xls,.xlsx, as well as images or video files, - one or more qualified electronic signatures (XAdES, typically XAdES-LT or XAdES-LTA for long-term validity),
- metadata describing the document: version information, author, creation date and time, last modification date, and more.
An .edoc digital signature can be at one of three levels: basic, with timestamp, or with additional long-term validation data.
An .edoc file must be digitally signed during its creation, and the signature cannot be changed later. To sign such a document, the user requires valid credentials issued by LVRTC or OCMA (Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs). .edoc files are supported by the dedicated eParakstītājs application, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as the eParaksts mobile app and the eDoc Viewer web portal. .edoc is the Latvian sibling of Estonia's .bdoc; both share compatible XAdES-based e-signature infrastructure. To inspect the raw archive contents, rename .edoc to .zip - though doing so removes the signature verification context.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWAn eDoc is a signed-document container, not an executable, so the file is safe to handle; its whole purpose is to PROVE authenticity. The real caution is verification, not malware: only trust the contents after a proper client (eParaksts, DigiDoc4, eDoc Viewer) confirms the signatures are valid and the signer certificate is trusted - a file can be tampered or a signature invalid. Don't rely on the rename-to-zip trick when validity matters, since it skips that check. Treat embedded documents (e.g. a PDF inside) with the usual care.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open EDOC files
Windows3 apps
7-Zip
Open-source Open the .edoc as a ZIP to view/extract the raw documents inside (does NOT verify signatures). 
eParaksts (LVRTC client)
Free Install eParaksts; open the .edoc to verify the signatures and extract the signed documents. The official Latvian client.
DigiDoc4 client
Free Open the .edoc (ASiC-E) to validate signatures and save the contained files; supports Baltic eID cards. 
macOS2 apps
eParaksts / DigiDoc4
Free Install the eParaksts or DigiDoc4 client to verify signatures and extract documents on macOS.
Keka / The Unarchiver
Open-source Open the .edoc as a ZIP to extract the contained files (no signature verification). 
Linux2 apps
DigiDoc4 client
Free Validate the eDoc's signatures and extract documents; available for major Linux distros.
eParaksts / EDOC Java Libraries
Free Use the eParaksts client, or the Java eDoc libraries to read/verify eDoc containers programmatically. 
Android1 app
eParaksts mobile
Free Use eParaksts mobile (Smart-ID style) to sign/verify; open received eDoc containers.
eDoc Viewer
Free Upload the .edoc in the browser to view and verify ASiC-E / eDoc signatures and download the contents - no install. Technical details
deep spec| Container format | ASiC-E (Associated Signature Container Extended) per ETSI EN 319 162 |
| Archive base | ZIP - magic bytes 50 4B 03 04 ("PK") at offset 0; can be renamed to .zip to browse contents, but this loses signature verification context |
| Signature standard | XAdES (XML Advanced Electronic Signatures); typically XAdES-LT or XAdES-LTA for long-term archival validity |
| MIME type | application/vnd.etsi.asic-e+zip (also application/vnd.lvrtc-edoc) |
| Encoding | Binary ZIP container; embedded signatures and META-INF manifests are UTF-8 XML text |
| Byte order | Little-endian (ZIP local file header structures) |
| Compression | DEFLATE per ZIP entry; the mimetype entry is stored uncompressed at the very start of the archive per ASiC-E specification |
| Encryption | None - signs for integrity and authenticity only; confidentiality is outside scope |
| Internal structure | mimetype entry + META-INF/manifest.xml + META-INF/signatures*.xml (XAdES) + payload document files |
| Signature levels | Three levels: basic (XAdES-B), with timestamp (XAdES-T/LT), or with long-term validation data (XAdES-LTA) |
| Long-term validation | OCSP responses and CRL evidence embedded in signatures for archival use (LTV - Long-Term Validation) |
| Payload types | Any file type (.pdf, .docx, .xlsx, images, video) wrapped and signed as-is without modification |
| Typical file size | 20 KB to several MB, depending on the number and size of the signed documents |
| Issuing authority | Signing credentials must be issued by LVRTC (Latvia State Radio and Television Centre) or OCMA (Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs) |
| Related formats | .asice (ETSI EU standard equivalent), .bdoc (Estonian sibling), .ddoc (older Latvian eDoc predecessor), .p7m (CMS/PKCS#7 signed data) |
| Released | 2010s (eParaksts national e-signature ecosystem, Latvia) |
| Latest version | eDoc v2.0 (ASiC-E + XAdES based) |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | www.eparaksts.lv |
EDOC conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about EDOC files.
