Electronic Signature

What is Electronic Signature?

An electronic signature (or e-signature) is any electronic process that indicates acceptance of an agreement or record. It can take many forms — from typing your name into a signature box, to clicking an "I agree" button, to drawing your signature on a touchscreen. The key element is that the signer intended to sign the document.

Electronic signatures are legally recognized in most countries around the world. In the European Union, the eIDAS Regulation establishes a framework for electronic signatures, while in the United States, the ESIGN Act and UETA provide federal and state-level legal recognition. These laws generally hold that a signature cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is in electronic form.

There are varying levels of electronic signatures, each offering different degrees of security and legal assurance. Simple electronic signatures offer the most basic level, while advanced and qualified electronic signatures provide increasingly stronger guarantees of signer identity and document integrity.

Organizations use electronic signatures to speed up contract execution, reduce paper waste, and create auditable signing workflows. Modern e-signature platforms combine convenience with security features like audit trails, tamper detection, and identity verification.