Are Electronic Signatures Legal?

Yes, in many countries. The e-signature laws of the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan all give electronic signatures legal effect. None of them says that every document can be signed electronically. Some documents are excluded. Others need a stronger signature, a witness or a notary.

The safe approach is simple. Check the rules for your document and country. Get the signer’s agreement to sign electronically. Keep a full record of how the document was signed.

This guide sums up each law in one line and links to the official text. Each country page explains the law in more detail.

E-signature laws at a glance

Jurisdiction	Main law	Official source	In one line
United States	ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. 7001 et seq.) and state versions of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA)	govinfo.gov, uniformlaws.org	A signature, contract or record may not be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic. Wills, family law matters and some notices are excluded.
European Union	eIDAS, Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183	eur-lex.europa.eu	An electronic signature cannot be denied legal effect or admissibility as evidence solely because it is electronic. A qualified electronic signature (QES) has the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature.
United Kingdom	Electronic Communications Act 2000, section 7, and the UK version of eIDAS	legislation.gov.uk	Electronic signatures are admissible in evidence. A QES has the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature.
UAE	Federal Decree-Law No. 46 of 2021 on Electronic Transactions and Trust Services	tdra.gov.ae (unofficial English translation)	An electronic document does not lose legal force merely because it is electronic. A QES is treated as equally authentic to a handwritten signature if the law's conditions are met.
Saudi Arabia	Electronic Transactions Law, Royal Decree No. M/18 (2007)	laws.boe.gov.sa	Electronic transactions, records and signatures have full effect if they meet the law's conditions. Personal status matters and real property deeds are excluded unless the responsible authority approves.
Pakistan	Electronic Transactions Ordinance, 2002	pakistancode.gov.pk	A legal requirement to sign is met by an electronic or advanced electronic signature. Negotiable instruments, powers of attorney, some trusts, wills and property sale contracts are excluded.

What these laws have in common

Electronic form alone is not a reason to reject a signature. Each law above says so in its own words.
Nobody is forced to sign electronically. ESIGN, UETA, the UAE Decree-Law and the Saudi law all say this.
Some documents are excluded or need more. The US, Saudi and Pakistani texts list excluded documents. eIDAS leaves form rules to national law. The UAE Cabinet can exclude transactions.
Records matter. Most of these laws set rules for keeping electronic records accurate and accessible.

What vScrawl does

vScrawl is a digital-signature and document-workflow platform. It helps you prepare, send, review, approve, sign, track and manage documents electronically.
vScrawl is designed to support electronic signatures under laws such as the U.S. ESIGN Act and UETA and the EU eIDAS Regulation. Requirements vary by document and jurisdiction.
Each signed document gets an audit trail and a certificate of completion with timestamps, IP addresses and email verifications.
Signer authentication options include two-factor authentication (2FA) with one-time codes and passkeys. You can turn them on for each document.
Completed documents carry tamper-evident seals, so later changes can be detected.
Documents are encrypted at rest and in transit with AES-256 encryption.

What vScrawl does not do

vScrawl does not give legal advice or decide whether a document is enforceable.
vScrawl does not guarantee that a court, regulator, counterparty or authority will accept every electronic signature.
vScrawl is not a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP). It does not issue qualified certificates.
vScrawl does not make a workflow compliant by default. The result depends on the signature level, the provider, the identity checks, the document type, the jurisdiction and your settings.

You remain responsible for confirming that e-signatures are allowed for your document, getting valid consent, choosing the right signature level, keeping records for the required time and making sure signers have authority to sign. The Legal Center explains this in more detail.

FAQ

Are electronic signatures legally binding?

In most business uses, an electronic signature cannot be rejected just because it is electronic. That is the core rule in all six laws in this guide. Whether a specific signature binds the signer still depends on the facts, the document type and local rules.

Which documents do e-signature laws exclude?

It depends on the country. The official texts exclude, for example, wills (US and Pakistan), family law matters (US), personal status matters and real property deeds (Saudi Arabia), and contracts for the sale of immovable property (Pakistan). Other rules then decide the form these documents need. Check the country page for the full list.

Is a typed name enough?

It can be. The ESIGN Act defines an electronic signature as "an electronic sound, symbol, or process" adopted with the intent to sign. Higher-risk documents may call for stronger signer checks or a qualified signature.

Do I need a qualified electronic signature (QES)?

Only when a law, a contract or your own policy requires it. A QES needs a qualified certificate from a QTSP. vScrawl is not a QTSP. See the QES overview.

Does vScrawl guarantee that my signed documents are valid?

No. vScrawl provides the signing tools and the audit evidence. Whether a document is valid or enforceable depends on the law and the facts.