Are electronic signatures legal? Absolutely.
Adobe Acrobat Sign is the world’s most trusted e-sign solution. We support the broadest range of legal signature requirements to give you the ultimate in compliance. And we’re here to help you every step of the way.
E-signature legality has gone global.
Electronic signatures are legal, trusted and enforceable in industrialised countries around the world. Laws can vary, but Acrobat Sign makes compliance simple.
United States
Electronic signatures have the same legal status as handwritten signatures throughout the United States, thanks to the E-Sign Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA).
What is the E-Sign Act?
The E-Sign Act, signed by President Bill Clinton on 30 June, 2000, granted electronic signatures the same legal status as handwritten signatures throughout the United States. The E-Sign Act allows the contract to be used as evidence in a court of law and prevents the denial of legal effect, validity or enforceability of an electronically signed document solely because it is in electronic form.
European Union
The Electronic Identification and Trust Services Regulation (eIDAS) makes any type of e-signature legal and enforceable. But only a specific type, known as a digital signature, gets the same status as a handwritten signature.
All other countries
When rolling out e-signatures in one country or many, get familiar with local laws. We make it simple to learn about legal standards on a country-by-country basis.
Three keys for keeping it legal.
Signature laws can vary from country to country, yet most share the same basic principles. Acrobat Sign is uniquely designed to make sure your organisation meets e-sign legality requirements wherever you do business — and complies with your internal policies, as well.
Signer authentication.
With Acrobat Sign, you can prove signers’ identities by choosing the best signature option for your needs.
Standard e-signature requests are emailed to a person’s address and contain a unique link to the document. The process is tracked securely and recorded in an audit trail.
Enhanced e-signatures prompt the signer to verify their identity before a document can be opened, using a password, phone PIN, government ID or other method of authentication.
Digital signatures (also known as advanced and qualified e-signatures) use a certificate-based digital ID and PIN for signing. Digital IDs are typically issued by Trust Service Providers (TSPs).
Intent and consent.
Acrobat Sign helps you to document intent and consent. So you can prove that the signer intended to sign and consented to do business electronically.
Show intent by having signers either add a signature or click to accept the agreement — or both.
Show consent by having signers accept a standard or customised agreement while signing or before opening your document.
Let signers opt out of e-signing with an option to sign by hand.
Final Proof.
Finally, Acrobat Sign provides clear evidence for each legally-binding transaction so you can prove what document was signed and who signed it.
Copies of executed documents are automatically sent to all parties and certified by Adobe with a tamper-evident seal.
The final document is stored securely in Adobe Document Cloud or sent to the repository or e-vault of your choice.
If digital IDs are used, the signatures are encrypted within the document.
Every step, including signer authentication, is logged and captured in a secured audit trail.
Legally-binding signatures are simple to set up.
For typical legally-binding e-signature implementations, our e-sign solution is ready to go right out of the box. The standard process gives you what you need to authenticate signers, show intent and consent and gather final proof. It's also easy to add enhanced, advanced or qualified e-signatures to handle signing processes that require increased security and assurances.
Set a course for compliance.
With Acrobat Sign, it’s simple to add electronic signatures to every department and every workflow — creating all-digital signing experiences across your enterprise and around the world.
Understand.
The first step is to read and understand the electronic signature laws and other regulatory requirements that apply to you. Learn about the specific forms, compliance requirements, privacy mandates and key restrictions.
Make it a policy.
Evaluate your company’s agreements and make some decisions about the levels of authentication, consent, intent and proof that will work for you. Capture and communicate it all in a master e-signature legality policy.
Set up compliant workflows.
Uphold your signature policy with Acrobat Sign. Create business processes that everyone can follow, every time. Drag and drop to create workflow templates that improve compliance. And do it all without involving IT.
Our e-signatures are backed by our legal experts.
It is rare to have e-signatures challenged in court. But if it should ever happen to your organisation, Adobe is here for you. From explaining our solution to providing sworn affidavits or showing up for a person most knowledgeable (PMK) deposition — Adobe will provide assistance to defend the legality of our e-signature solution.
What else do you need to know?
Use certificate-based digital IDs to meet high-assurance signer authentication requirements.
Want to know more?
Whether you need some basic information about our solutions or you’d like a customised quote for your unique business needs, we’re here to help you to get your questions answered.
Electronic signatures around the world.
Acrobat Sign complies with electronic signature laws around the world. Learn about a specific country by clicking its name below.