Are electronic signatures legally binding?
The honest version: usually yes for ordinary agreements, with real exceptions — and what actually matters is the evidence behind the signature.
Guides · 2026-10-20 · 5 min read
This is the most-searched question in the category and the one most often answered badly. The usual version — "yes, electronic signatures are legally binding!" with a logo wall underneath — is marketing, not an answer.
The general position
Many jurisdictions have legislation recognising electronic signatures for most everyday agreements, and the broad direction of travel has been toward recognition rather than away from it. In practice, for ordinary commercial agreements between willing parties, an electronic signature is usually treated the same as a handwritten one.
The exceptions are real
Specific categories are commonly excluded or carry extra formalities. Wills and testamentary instruments, some property and land instruments, certain family-law and court documents, and some notarised instruments are the ones that come up most. The list differs by jurisdiction, and "it worked for my contracts" tells you nothing about whether it works for a deed.
What actually decides a dispute
Rarely the question of whether electronic signatures are valid in principle. Far more often: can you show what the other person saw, that they meant to sign it, and that the document has not changed since? That is an evidence question, and it is the one a product can actually help with.
- The exact bytes of the document each person was shown, fixed at the moment of sending.
- Who acted, when, how they authenticated, and whether that authentication passed.
- Consent to sign electronically, recorded with the version of the wording they were shown.
- A record that cannot be quietly edited afterwards — including by the vendor.
What a hash does and does not do
A SHA-256 digest proves a file has not changed since the digest was recorded. That is genuinely useful and it is not identity. It does not establish who signed, what they intended, or that an agreement is enforceable. Keeping those claims separate is the difference between evidence and decoration.