Electronic signature FAQ
Are electronic signatures legal?
Yes, in the United States and in most major markets. Federal law — the ESIGN Act — gives electronic signatures the same legal effect as ink signatures for most transactions, and 49 states have adopted UETA to the same effect. Comparable law exists across the EU, UK, Canada, and Australia.
Do I need a special font or image of my signature?
No. No statute requires a handwriting image. What matters is intent to sign and the evidence that you did. A typed name adopted in a clear signing step is a valid signature.
Can electronic signatures be used in court?
Yes. An electronic signature is admissible and, if the process was sound, enforceable. What courts examine is whether the signature can be attributed to the signer, whether the signer intended to sign, and whether the document is intact. That is why the audit trail matters more than the signature's appearance.
What documents cannot be signed electronically?
Under ESIGN and UETA, the exclusions include wills, codicils, and testamentary trusts; adoption, divorce, and other family-law matters; court orders; certain utility and insurance cancellation notices; foreclosure, eviction, and default notices; and product recall notices. Some states have narrowed these — particularly for notarised documents. Verify the rule in the relevant jurisdiction.
Is an electronic signature as good as a digital signature?
They answer different questions. An electronic signature establishes that someone agreed. A digital signature additionally makes any later alteration to the document detectable by anyone with the certificate. Which you need depends on what you must be able to prove.
What happens if a signer denies signing?
You rely on the audit trail: authentication method, timestamps, IP and device information, and the recorded signing event. This is why thin authentication — a plain email link with no second factor — is a risk for high-value documents.
How much do e-signature platforms cost?
Pricing ranges from free tiers for a handful of documents a month to per-seat enterprise agreements. Vendors change pricing frequently, so check current published rates. The variables that move the price most are envelope volume, seat count, and which compliance features you need.
Can I send the same document to multiple people?
Yes. Platforms support parallel signing (everyone signs independently) and sequential signing (each signer waits for the previous one). Parallel is usually faster; sequential is required where one signature legally gates the next.
Do I need to keep the audit trail?
Yes, if the document matters. Export the completed document and its audit trail together when the deal closes, and keep them somewhere your organisation controls. Relying solely on a vendor's interface for evidence is a foreseeable failure point.
Are electronic signatures valid internationally?
Generally yes, but the details differ. The EU's eIDAS framework defines tiers and gives qualified signatures automatic cross-border equivalence. If you operate across borders, check the receiving jurisdiction's requirements — and note that some counterparties require a specific tier.
What is remote online notarization?
A notarial act performed over live video with identity proofing. Most U.S. states authorise it, but acceptance of an out-of-state RON execution depends on the receiving state and, in practice, on the institution receiving the document. See the RON guide.
Can an employer require electronic signatures?
For business-to-business and employment documents, consent to electronic delivery is generally inferred from conduct. For consumer transactions, ESIGN imposes specific disclosure and consent requirements — see consent and disclosures.
What is the biggest mistake people make?
Sending a PDF by email, having it signed with a reader tool, and emailing it back. That process produces a signature with no evidence behind it: no reliable authentication, no audit trail, and no way to detect later alteration. Use a platform for anything that matters.