Electronic signature

eSignature is safer than a hand-written signature delivered by the post as the person has been authenticated by a trusted third party. Strong electronic identification means that the user is authenticated with bank credentials, mobile-ID, or other such services.

The signer of the document doesn’t need anything more than a web browser. Customers can sign documents on any device as long as there is an internet connection. There is no need for the customer to download any software. Read more about Electronic signature software. 

Federal and state law gives electronic signatures the same legal status as handwritten signatures. 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have adopted the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA). The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN), a federal law, provides that electronic signatures are legally enforceable for intrastate commerce and within those states that have not adopted UETA.

Directive 1999/93/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 1999 on a Community framework for electronic signatures, establishes the criteria for the legality of e-signatures. It sets out three levels of e-signature (simple, advanced, qualified). According to the directive, an advanced e-signature based on a qualified certificate satisfies the legal requirements of a signature in relation to data in electronic form, in the same way, a handwritten signature satisfies those requirements in relation to paper-based data.

The (ESIGN), Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act is a U.S. Federal law that was passed in 2000 that enabled the use of electronic records and signatures for commercial transactions. The Act essentially enables organizations to adopt a uniform e-signature process across all 50 states with the assurance that records cannot be refused by a court of law solely on the basis that they were signed electronically.

eIDAS (electronic IDentification, Authentication and trust Services) is an EU regulation on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the European Single Market. It was established in EU Regulation 910/2014 of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and repeals Directive 1999/93/EC from 13 December 1999.

It entered into force on 17 September 2014 and applied from 1 July 2016. All organizations delivering public digital services in an EU member state must recognize electronic identification from all EU member states from September 29, 2018. 

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