Signature legality guide

Where electronic signatures work, and how they work there

Governing law, recognised signature types, identity requirements, exclusions and local formalities — for every country on the platform. Free to read, no account needed.

27 Guides published
7 Regions covered
13 In preparation

Every market falls into one of three regimes

Knowing which one you're in tells you almost everything about how carefully you need to sign.

01

Open model

Any form of electronic signature can be valid. Evidential weight is decided case by case on the facts.

5 markets Sign normally. Keep the audit trail.
02

Tiered model

Ordinary signatures are valid, but a defined higher tier carries stronger presumptions and is required for some uses.

20 markets Match the tier to the document.
03

Prescriptive

The law names the approved method. Signing another way risks the document not being recognised at all.

1 market Use the named method or don't sign.

North America

3 guides published

Federal statutes recognise electronic signatures across the region, with state and provincial variation layered on top.

US United States Open model CA Canada Tiered model MX Mexico Tiered model

Latin America

4 guides published, 1 in preparation

Tiered regimes are common here: the certificate behind the signature is what decides how much weight it carries.

BR Brazil Tiered model AR Argentina Tiered model CL Chile Tiered model CO Colombia Tiered model PE Peru Coming soon

Asia-Pacific

12 guides published, 1 in preparation

The widest spread on the platform — open regimes, tiered ones and China’s prescriptive rules all sit in this region.

AU Australia Open model NZ New Zealand Open model SG Singapore Tiered model JP Japan Tiered model KR South Korea Tiered model CN China Prescriptive model HK Hong Kong SAR Tiered model MY Malaysia Tiered model ID Indonesia Tiered model PH Philippines Open model TH Thailand Tiered model VN Vietnam Tiered model TW Taiwan Coming soon

South Asia

1 guide published, 3 in preparation

Tiered regimes where stamping and registration often matter as much as the signature itself.

IN India Guide in review PK Pakistan Coming soon BD Bangladesh Coming soon LK Sri Lanka Coming soon

Europe

0 guides published, 4 in preparation

eIDAS sets three signature tiers across the bloc. These guides are in review and publish as each is checked.

GB United Kingdom Coming soon DE Germany Coming soon FR France Coming soon NL Netherlands Coming soon

Middle East

4 guides published, 2 in preparation

Tiered regimes, several of them built around certificate authorities licensed by the state.

AE United Arab Emirates Tiered model SA Saudi Arabia Tiered model IL Israel Tiered model TR Türkiye Tiered model QA Qatar Coming soon KW Kuwait Coming soon

Africa

3 guides published, 2 in preparation

Open and tiered regimes, with statute generally modelled on the UNCITRAL model law on electronic commerce.

ZA South Africa Tiered model NG Nigeria Open model KE Kenya Tiered model EG Egypt Coming soon GH Ghana Coming soon

General information, not legal advice. These summaries describe how electronic signature law generally operates in each country. They are not a substitute for advice from qualified local counsel on a specific agreement.

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