Are electronic signatures legal?
In most countries, yes, for most documents. Each guide below covers the laws, the documents that still need a handwritten or qualified signature, and links to the official texts.
United States
Yes. Under the federal ESIGN Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), a signature or contract cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is in electronic form, so e-signatures are valid for most business and consumer documents in all 50 states.
United Kingdom
Yes. Electronic signatures are legally valid in the UK and can be used to execute most contracts, and the Law Commission confirmed in 2019 that they can even satisfy a statutory requirement for a signature, provided the signer intended to authenticate the document.
European Union
Yes. Under the eIDAS Regulation, an electronic signature cannot be denied legal effect or admissibility in court just because it is electronic, and a qualified electronic signature (QES) has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature in every EU member state.
Turkey
Yes. Under the Electronic Signature Law No. 5070, a secure electronic signature (güvenli elektronik imza) has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature, while simple electronic signatures are valid for contracts with no form requirement and can be used as evidence in court.
Canada
Yes. Electronic signatures are legally valid in Canada: federal law (PIPEDA Part 2) and electronic commerce statutes in every province and territory, including Quebec's IT framework act, recognise them for most contracts.