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Documents signed with digital signatures are legally valid and hold the same value as a handwritten signature in most regions. All documents signed with Zoho Sign meet the requirements of the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act of 2000 (ESIGN) in the United States, the electronic IDentification, Authentication and Trust Services (eIDAS) regulation in the European Union, and the Information Technology Act of 2000 (ITA) in India, along with several other digital signature laws.

We often receive questions from new users about the legality of digital signatures in their country. This guide aims to provide answers to these common questions.

DISCLAIMER

This digital signature legality guide is the result of comprehensive legal research into digital signatures on a country-by-country basis. Though it has been published with the help of our legal team and technology experts, this guide does not constitute official legal advice and should be used for general information purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your region since laws change frequently.

Digital Signature Legality Guide for Australia

What is court-admissible?

This refers to whether documents signed with digital signatures can be submitted as evidence in a court. Nowadays, most countries support digital transactions and digital signatures, but with the consent of the parties involved.

What is a legal model?

A country can either have an open or tiered legal model for digital signatures. Countries with an open legal model don't require any technology standards to receive special legal status for documents signed with digital signatures. This means documents signed with Zoho Sign are automatically considered evidence in a court of law.

Countries with a tiered legal model recognize Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) , or its local equivalent, as a distinct type of digital signature. This means documents signed with QES are presumed authentic and immediately accepted as evidence in court. As such, documents signed with Zoho Sign will also be considered evidence in court along with some kind of proof.

Exclusions for Austria

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Legal transactions under family and inheritance law
  • Company registers

Exclusions for Belgium

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Real estate contracts that create or transfer rights
  • Contracts requiring the involvement of courts or public authorities
  • Contracts involving collateral securities furnished by persons acting for purposes outside their trade, business, or profession
  • Contracts governed by family law or the law of succession

Exclusions for Bermuda

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Wills
  • Real estate agreements
  • Country Court- Admissible Legal Model Government Resources
  • Bulgaria Yes Tiered eIDAS regulation

Exclusions for Bulgaria

  • Documents that require notarization

Exclusions for Brunei

  • Documents that require notarization

Exclusions for Cameroon

  • Contracts that create or transfer rights in real estate, with the exception of rental rights;
  • Contracts for which the law requires the intervention of the courts, public authorities, or professions exercising public authority;
  • Security contracts and guarantees provided by persons acting for purposes that are outside the scope of their professional or commercial activity;
  • Contracts falling under family law or inheritance law;
  • Electronic exchanges or transmissions that are subject to special legislation.

Exclusions for Chile

  • Agreements that require the attendance of one or more parties
  • Real estate agreements related to acquisition, modification, and extinction
  • Leasing agreements
  • Appointment of legal guardians of minors
  • Marital agreements
  • Declaration of wills
  • Mortgages
  • IP transfers
  • Documents that require notarization
  • Agreements that require the physical presence of one or more parties
  • Documents related to family law

Exclusions for China

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Personal relationship agreements
  • Some real estate agreements

Exclusions for the Czech Republic

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Lease and real estate agreements
  • Country Court- Admissible Legal Model Government Resources
  • Croatia Yes Tiered eIDAS Regulation

Exclusions for Croatia

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Country Court- Admissible Legal Model Government Resources
  • Cyprus Yes Tiered eIDAS Regulation

Exclusions for Cyprus

  • Documents that require notarization

Exclusions for Denmark

  • Documents that require notarization

Exclusions for Ecuador

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Country Court- Admissible Legal Model Government Resources
  • Estonia Yes Tiered Civil Code Act

Exclusions for Estonia

  • Documents that require notarization

Exclusions for Finland

  • Real estate buying and selling contracts
  • Documents that require notarization

Exclusions for Greece

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Some real estate agreements

Exclusions for Hong Kong

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Wills
  • Powers of attorney
  • Government leases
  • Some real estate agreements

Exclusions for Hungary

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Family agreements
  • Marriage agreements

Exclusions for Iceland

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Employee contracts

Exclusions for Ireland

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Wills
  • Trusts
  • Powers of attorneys
  • Property transactions

Exclusions for Italy

  • Loan agreements
  • Documents that require notarization

Exclusions for Kazakhstan

  • Documents that require notarization
  • HR documents

Exclusions for Latvia

  • Documents that require notarization

Exclusions for Lithuania

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Country Court- Admissible Legal Model Government Resources
  • Luxembourg Yes Tiered eIDAS Regulation

Exclusions for Luxembourg

  • Government leases
  • Powers of attorney
  • Real estate agreements
  • Employment contracts
  • Documents that require notarization

Exclusions for Macau

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Country Court- Admissible Legal Model Government Resources
  • Malta Yes Tiered eIDAS Regulation

Exclusions for Malta

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Country Court- Admissible Legal Model Government Resources
  • Norway Yes Tiered eIDAS Regulation

Exclusions for Norway

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Debt certificates
  • Premarital agreements
  • Loan and security agreements

Exclusions for the Netherlands

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Country Court- Admissible Legal Model Government Resources
  • Poland Yes Tiered eIDAS Regulation

Exclusions for Poland

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Real estate agreements
  • Company shares
  • Bills of exchange

Exclusions for Portugal

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Employee terminations
  • Real estate agreements

Exclusions for Romania

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Some real estate agreements of immovable property
  • Personal guarantee agreements

Exclusions for Russia

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Powers of attorney
  • HR documents
  • Some real estate agreements

Exclusions for South Korea

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Changes in real estate property ownership
  • Transfers of intangible assets
  • Wills

Exclusions for Sri Lanka

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Wills
  • Powers of attorney
  • Contracts governed by family law or the law of succession

Exclusions for Sweden

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Government agreements
  • Share certificates
  • Employee termination letters
  • Country Court- Admissible Legal Model Government Resources
  • Slovakia Yes Tiered eIDAS Regulation

Exclusions for Slovakia

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Country Court- Admissible Legal Model Government Resources
  • Slovenia Yes Tiered eIDAS Regulation

Exclusions for Slovenia

  • Documents that require notarization

Exclusions for Taiwan

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Agreements with government agencies

Exclusions for Ukraine

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Real estate agreements
  • Contracts under family law
  • Inheritance agreements

Exclusions for Uruguay

  • Documents that require notarization
  • Real estate agreements
  • Labor agreements
  • Insurance agreements

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Frequently asked questions:

  • Documents signed with digital signatures are legally valid in many regions, including the United States, the European Union, and India. However, the legal validity differs from country to country, and it’s important to check the laws in your region.

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