Electronic signatures and legality in the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union

Electronic signatures are legally binding for nearly every business or personal transaction in the United States and around the world.

United States

Not all eSignature solutions are created equally. The Docusign electronic signature solution in the United States complies with the definition of an electronic signature under the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (ESIGN) Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA).

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the equivalent legislation to the ESIGN Act in the United States was the Electronic Communications Act 2000. Docusign warrants that its electronic eSignature solution complies with the definition of an electronic signature under this act.

European Union (EU)

In 2014, the European Parliament repealed the eSignature Directive (1999/93/EC), with the goal of creating a more uniform, pan-EU market for electronic transactions. The replacement was the EU Regulation No 910/2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market, also known as eIDAS. Electronic signatures are actively in use in Europe, and Docusign eSignatures are compliant with eIDAS and EU electronic signature technical standards.

Rest of the world

Many countries in the world have adopted an electronic signature law or recognize electronic signatures. The Docusign form of electronic signature meets the definition of a valid electronic signature under the vast majority of those laws.