Is electronic signature legal in the United Kingdom?

The law

• Electronic Communications Act 2000, section 7
• UK eIDAS Regulations (retained Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, as amended)
• Law Commission report 'Electronic execution of documents' (2019), endorsed by the Government

What still needs wet ink, a notary or a qualified signature

• Wills (the Wills Act 1837 still requires signing in the physical presence of two witnesses)
• Deeds that need a witness: the witness must be physically present, not watching remotely
• Registered land dispositions, which must follow HM Land Registry's own e-signature rules
• Lasting powers of attorney outside the official online service

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules for some formal documents; ordinary commercial contracts are fine throughout the UK.

Where Clinch fits

Clinch is built for everyday commercial agreements — freelance and agency contracts, statements of work, NDAs, quotes and service agreements — which in the United Kingdomneed no special form. Every signature is captured with the signer's explicit consent, and the signed PDF carries an audit trail (name, email, timestamp of every event, hashed IP) plus a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact document, so anyone can check it was not changed after signing.

It is a simple electronic signature, not a qualified one: for the documents listed above, use the formality the law requires.

Other countries in Europe

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