Are eSignatures legal?
Short answer: YES!
For the long answer, keep reading.
“[A contract or signature] may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form”
ESIGN Act – USA, June 30, 2000
The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) is an American law that authorizes the use of electronic records and electronic signatures.
This is a single example of legislation that avails the use and legal effect of electronic signatures for business, across the world.
Each country has its own laws regarding eSignatures but most of them consider electronic signatures and records as legally valid as “wet ink” signatures on paper.
Signaturely complies with all international laws and guidelines that govern electronic signatures.
Are eSignatures legal in my country?
Holds in court?
No
Can it be used for Business?
No
List of countries where
eSignatures are legal
An eSignature provides the same legal standing as a handwritten
signatureas long as it adheres to the requirements of the specific
regulation it was created under.
signature
regulation it was created under.
United States
Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) – Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act
Canada
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
United Kingdom
The Electronic Identification Regulation (EU/910/2014) (2014)
China
Electronic Signature Law of the People’s Republic of China
India
Information Technology Act, 2000
Germany
eIDAS (Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services)
France
eIDAS (Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services)
Spain
eIDAS (Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services)
Italy
eIDAS (Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services)
Russian Federation
Federal Law of Russian Federation about Electronic Signature (06.04.2011)
Japan
Law Concerning Electronic Signatures and Certification Services, 2000
South Korea
Digital Signature Act
Turkey
Electronic Signature Law
Switzerland
Federal Law on Certification Services Concerning the Electronic Signature, 2003
Brazil
Medida provisória: 2.200-2
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions around
eSignatures
Yes, they are. eSignatures are legally binding virtually everywhere in the world and across different industries. They hold up in court and can be used as evidence. Each eSignature records digital stamps (like an IP address) that make it easy to track back to each signee.
Learn more about eSignatures here.
Learn more about eSignatures here.
Yes. As stated in the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN – USA), a contract or signature “may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form”. eSignatures are widely accepted across industries and uses. Find templates for your business here.
Yes, you can sign on a PDF. Signaturely also supports PNG and JPG files, and Word documents. You can integrate with Google Drive, Dropbox, Box and OneDrive to upload your documents.
It is exactly the same. The only difference is you can sign remotely from anywhere in the world since you don’t need to print documents to sign them. When signing, Signaturely will ask you to enter your signature by drawing it, typing your name or uploading a photo.
Absolutely. Signaturely saves digital imprints for every interaction you and other signees have with your documents. This makes documents easy to track and recover at any point, just by signing to your account, instead of archiving stacks of paper files. eSigned documents have been confidently used as evidence in court for years.
No need. You can save, track and come back to your documents in your Signaturely dashboard. Digital records are as valid as paper records for audits, legal processes and compliance issues.
Dealing with clients or partners who distrust eSignatures is an opportunity for growth. We recommend pointing them to the relevant eSign legislation where they do business. Once people realize how much time and money they save with eSignatures, they’ll be grateful you took the time to educate them.
eSignatures make the signing process easier and faster for most cases. However, when it comes to documents that need an extra layer of identification, notarization, or one or more witnesses, eSignatures might not be sufficient. Documents with a greater risk of fraud due to a false or forged signature include:
- Wills
- Sworn declarations
- Powers of attorney
- Major financial transactions that require a notarized document
Looking to transition to eSignatures?
Join millions of professionals and business owners that have replaced manual paper signing for the speed and security of eSignatures.
