Is a typed or electronic signature legal?

By Theyvora · 2026-09-23 · 4 min read

In most countries an electronic signature — including a typed or drawn one — is legally valid for everyday business documents such as quotes, contracts, NDAs and consent forms. Laws like the US ESIGN Act and UETA, and the EU's eIDAS regulation, recognise e-signatures as enforceable.

What makes an e-signature hold up

Validity generally comes down to a few things a court would look for:

• Intent — the signer meant to sign.
• Consent — both parties agreed to do business electronically.
• Attribution — the signature can be linked to the person (email, IP, a record of the signing).
• Record — a tamper-evident copy is kept and can be reproduced.

A signing platform strengthens all four by capturing a timestamp, the signer's details and an audit trail, then issuing a certificate of completion.

When you may need more than a simple signature

A typed or drawn signature is fine for the vast majority of commercial agreements. A few document types have stricter form requirements that vary by country — for example some wills, property transfers and certain family-law documents. When in doubt for high-stakes legal documents, check local rules or get advice.

How to sign a document online

1. Create your signature — draw it, type it, or scan a photo and clean it up.
2. Upload the PDF and place your signature where it belongs.
3. Download the signed copy, or send it to the other party for their signature.

Theyvora keeps an audit record and issues a verifiable certificate for completed documents, so you have proof the signature is genuine.

Create your signature free

Make a clean, reusable signature in seconds and use it to sign PDFs right in your browser.