Simple electronic signature (SES)

A simple electronic signature (SES) is the most basic type of electronic signature recognized under the EU's eIDAS regulation: data in electronic form that is attached to or logically associated with other data and used by the signatory to sign. A typed name at the bottom of an email, a signature drawn with a finger on a phone, a scanned signature image, or a click on an "Accept and sign" button can all be simple e-signatures.

eIDAS sets no technical requirements for this level. That is the point: it covers the huge range of ordinary ways people signal agreement electronically. What it does guarantee, under Article 25, is that a court cannot refuse a signature as evidence just because it is electronic or falls short of the qualified level. How much weight the signature carries then depends on the evidence behind it.

In a typical workflow, a landlord in Ireland sends a tenancy renewal PDF to a tenant. The tenant opens the link, reads the document, types their name, and confirms. The platform logs when the email was sent, when the document was opened, the IP address and device used, and the moment of signing, then locks the final PDF and computes its hash. That bundle of evidence is what gives the simple signature its strength.

The most common misconception is that simple means weak or informal. In both the EU and the US, simple electronic signatures are used for a vast share of everyday contracts, including sales agreements, NDAs, employment paperwork and service terms. The US ESIGN Act does not even use the simple, advanced and qualified tiers; it treats all electronic signatures as valid if the usual requirements such as intent and record retention are met.

The trade-off is proof of identity. A simple signature does not by itself verify who the signer is, which is where an advanced electronic signature adds requirements such as unique linkage to the signer. For higher-risk documents, stronger signer authentication can close part of that gap.

eSignSimple provides simple electronic signatures, and we are upfront about that. Signers need no account; they receive a link, sign, and every document ends with an audit trail, certificate of completion and a SHA-256 hash that can be checked on our public /verify page. Extra identity checks such as one-time codes and ID verification are on our roadmap.

Our take: simple electronic signatures are the right default for most small businesses. The label undersells them. Pair them with good records and clear consent, and save heavier signature levels for the documents where the law or the stakes genuinely call for them.