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.
Germany
Yes. Under eIDAS, an electronic signature cannot be denied legal effect just because it is electronic, and most German contracts have no form requirement. Where the BGB requires written form (Schriftform), you generally need a qualified electronic signature, and a few documents cannot be signed electronically at all.
France
Yes. Under articles 1366 and 1367 of the Code civil and the eIDAS Regulation, an electronic document and signature have the same evidential force as paper when the signer can be identified and the document's integrity is guaranteed.
Spain
Yes. Under eIDAS, Ley 6/2020 and article 23 of Ley 34/2002 (LSSI), electronic contracts have full legal effect when consent and the other validity requirements are met, and electronic support satisfies a requirement for written form.
Italy
Yes. Electronic signatures are recognised in Italy under eIDAS and the Codice dell'amministrazione digitale (CAD). To satisfy a written-form requirement, a document must generally carry an advanced, qualified or digital signature, and certain acts such as real estate transfers need a qualified or digital signature.
Netherlands
Yes. Under article 3:15a of the Dutch Civil Code (BW) and eIDAS, a qualified electronic signature has the same effect as a handwritten one, and other electronic signatures have the same effect if the method used is sufficiently reliable for the purpose and circumstances.
Ireland
Yes. Under the Electronic Commerce Act 2000 and eIDAS, information is not denied legal effect solely because it is electronic, and an electronic signature can satisfy a legal signature requirement where the recipient consents, subject to the exclusions in section 10.
Poland
Yes. Under the Polish Civil Code, a declaration of will can be made by any conduct, including electronically, and a statement signed with a qualified electronic signature (electronic form) is equivalent to written form.
Sweden
Yes. eIDAS applies directly in Sweden, supplemented by Lag (2016:561), and most commercial contracts have no special form requirement, so they can be concluded with an electronic signature. Some transactions, such as property purchases and wills, have their own formal rules.
Switzerland
Yes. Switzerland is not in the EU, so eIDAS does not apply, but most Swiss contracts need no special form (OR art. 11). Where written form is required, only a qualified electronic signature combined with a qualified time stamp under ZertES is equivalent to a handwritten signature (OR art. 14(2bis)).
Australia
Yes. Under the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Cth) and equivalent state and territory laws, a transaction is not invalid because it took place electronically, and an electronic signature satisfies a signature requirement when it identifies the signer, shows their intention and uses an appropriately reliable method.
India
Yes, with conditions. The Information Technology Act, 2000 recognises electronic signatures and contracts formed electronically, but it treats as signatures only techniques that are reliable and specified in its Second Schedule, and it does not apply to the documents listed in its First Schedule, such as wills and most negotiable instruments.
United Arab Emirates
Yes. Under Federal Decree-Law No. 46 of 2021 on Electronic Transactions and Trust Services, electronic documents and contracts do not lose legal force merely because they are electronic, and the law sets up reliable and qualified electronic signature tiers, with the qualified signature treated as equal to a handwritten one.
Saudi Arabia
Yes. The Saudi Electronic Transactions Law of 1428H (2007) provides that an electronic signature generated in accordance with the law satisfies a signature requirement and is equal to a handwritten signature, except for personal status transactions and the issuance of real property deeds.
Brazil
Yes. Medida Provisória 2.200-2/2001 gives ICP-Brasil certificate signatures a presumption of authenticity and expressly allows other means of proving authorship and integrity when the parties accept them, so simple e-signatures are widely used for private contracts.
Mexico
Yes. Mexico's Código de Comercio states that information cannot be denied legal effect, validity or binding force solely because it is in a data message, and that a signature requirement is met by an electronic signature appropriate for the purpose.
Singapore
Yes. Under section 8 of the Electronic Transactions Act 2010, a legal signature requirement is met by an electronic method that identifies the signer and shows their intention, provided it is reliable enough for the purpose, except for the matters in the Act's First Schedule.
Japan
Yes. The Act on Electronic Signatures and Certification Business presumes an electronic record to be authentic if the principal applied a qualifying electronic signature to it.
South Africa
Yes. Under section 13 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, an electronic signature is not without legal force merely because it is electronic. Where a law requires a signature without specifying the type, however, only an advanced electronic signature meets the requirement.
New Zealand
Yes. Under section 226 of the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017, a legal signature requirement is met by an electronic signature that adequately identifies the signer, indicates their approval and is as reliable as appropriate, except for the matters excluded by Schedule 5.
Azerbaijan
Yes. The Law on Electronic Signature and Electronic Document (No. 602-IIQ of 9 March 2004) says an electronic signature cannot be deemed invalid merely because it is electronic or uncertified, but only an enhanced signature with a qualified certificate is equal to a handwritten signature.
Indonesia
Yes. Article 11 of the ITE Law (Law 11/2008, amended by Law 19/2016 and Law 1/2024) gives an electronic signature valid legal force when six conditions are met, and Government Regulation 71/2019 recognises both certified and uncertified electronic signatures.
E-signature laws at a glance
26 jurisdictions we have written up, checked against the official texts. Pick a country in the table to read the full page.
| Country | Short answer | Main law | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Yes, for most contracts | Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Cth) | |
| Azerbaijan | Yes, but only enhanced signatures equal handwritten ones | Law on Electronic Signature and Electronic Document (No. 602-IIQ, 9 March 2004) | |
| Brazil | Yes, for most contracts | Medida Provisória nº 2.200-2, de 24 de agosto de 2001 | |
| Canada | Yes, for most contracts | PIPEDA, Part 2 (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) | |
| European Union | Yes, for most contracts | eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 | |
| France | Yes, for most contracts | eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 | |
| Germany | Yes, for contracts without a form requirement | eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 | |
| India | Yes, with conditions | Information Technology Act, 2000 (Act 21 of 2000) | |
| Indonesia | Yes, for most contracts | Law 11 of 2008 on Electronic Information and Transactions (UU ITE), amended by Law 19 of 2016 and Law 1 of 2024 | |
| Ireland | Yes, for most contracts | eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 | |
| Italy | Yes, but written form needs an advanced or qualified signature | eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 | |
| Japan | Yes, for most contracts | Act on Electronic Signatures and Certification Business (Act No. 102 of 2000) | |
| Mexico | Yes, for most contracts | Código de Comercio, Title II (electronic commerce, from art. 89) | |
| Netherlands | Yes, for most contracts | eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 | |
| New Zealand | Yes, for most contracts | Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017, Part 4 (electronic transactions) | |
| Poland | Yes, for most contracts | eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 | |
| Saudi Arabia | Yes, for most contracts | Electronic Transactions Law (Royal Decree, 1428H / March 2007) | |
| Singapore | Yes, for most contracts | Electronic Transactions Act 2010 | |
| South Africa | Yes, for most contracts | Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA) | |
| Spain | Yes, for most contracts | eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 | |
| Sweden | Yes, for most contracts | eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 | |
| Switzerland | Yes, for contracts without a form requirement | Code of Obligations (OR), articles 11, 13 and 14 | |
| Turkey | Yes, for contracts with no form requirement | Electronic Signature Law No. 5070 (Elektronik İmza Kanunu) | |
| United Arab Emirates | Yes, for most contracts | Federal Decree-Law No. 46 of 2021 on Electronic Transactions and Trust Services | |
| United Kingdom | Yes, for most contracts | Electronic Communications Act 2000, section 7 | |
| United States | Yes, for most contracts | ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. §7001 et seq.) |
Use this data
The table above is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: country, short answer, main laws, exceptions, official sources and review date. Please credit “eSignSimple” with a link to this page.
General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 2026-09-26.
How e-signature law works around the world
In most major economies, an electronic signature cannot be refused legal effect simply because it is electronic. What differs between countries is how signatures are classified, which documents are excluded, and how much evidence a court expects to see. This guide explains the common framework; our country pages go into detail with official sources.
This is general information, not legal advice. Laws change and details depend on the document and the parties. For important or unusual documents, consult a lawyer in the relevant jurisdiction.
Simple, advanced and qualified signatures
The EU eIDAS Regulation defines three levels. A simple electronic signature (SES) is any data in electronic form used to sign, such as a typed name or drawn signature. An advanced electronic signature (AES) must be uniquely linked to and capable of identifying the signer, under their sole control, and linked to the data so any change is detectable. A qualified electronic signature (QES) is an AES created with a qualified device and based on a qualified certificate, and has the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature across the EU.
Many other countries use similar tiers, sometimes calling the stronger levels secure or digital signatures. eSignSimple provides simple electronic signatures backed by an audit trail and a SHA-256 fingerprint. It does not provide QES.
ESIGN and UETA in the United States
In the US, the federal ESIGN Act of 2000 and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, adopted by most states, give electronic signatures and records the same legal effect as paper when the parties agree to do business electronically. They are technology neutral and do not require a particular signing method.
In practice, courts look at intent to sign, consent to transact electronically, attribution of the signature to the person, and whether the record was retained accurately. That is why an audit trail and certificate of completion matter.
Common exceptions
Most laws carve out certain documents. Commonly excluded or restricted are wills and testamentary documents, some family law matters, certain real estate transfers and documents that must be recorded, court documents, notarized instruments, and some notices such as utility shut-offs or insurance cancellations. Some countries also require QES or wet ink for specific contracts, employment or public-sector documents.
Our take: check exceptions before you choose a signing method, not after. Our country pages list the main exceptions with links to official sources.
Evidence matters as much as the law
Legal recognition answers whether an e-signature can be valid. Evidence answers whether you can show that this person signed this document. Keep the signed PDF, the certificate of completion and any related emails together, and make sure you can show the document has not changed since signing.
Frequently asked questions
Are electronic signatures legally binding?
In most countries, yes, for most documents. Laws like ESIGN and UETA in the US and eIDAS in the EU recognize them, with exceptions for certain documents.
What is the difference between SES, AES and QES?
They are eIDAS levels. SES is any electronic signature, AES adds identification and tamper detection requirements, and QES uses a qualified certificate and device and equals a handwritten signature in the EU.
Which documents cannot be signed electronically?
Commonly wills, some family law and court documents, certain property transfers, notarized documents and some official notices. Exceptions vary by country.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is general information. For specific documents or disputes, consult a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction.