{"id":13291,"date":"2021-02-12T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-12T10:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/blog-xnoccio\/?p=13291"},"modified":"2025-10-08T13:16:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T11:16:49","slug":"are-esignatures-legal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/are-esignatures-legal\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the electronic signature legal?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>legal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/electronic-signatures\/\">electronic signature<\/a><\/strong> is crucial for any digital transformation process. To this end, one of the first questions that companies ask themselves is how to change from the traditional system to a digital one to automate processes that require the electronic signature of documents with customers, suppliers and employees.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this article we will talk about the legal <strong>electronic signature<\/strong>, its validity, the different types and the different solutions offered by Viafirma for your company.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What laws regulate electronic signatures?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently, electronic signatures <strong>are fully supported by the legislation in force in practically all countries of the world<\/strong>, being stricter in some countries and more permissive in others.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We will analyze the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boe.es\/doue\/2014\/257\/L00073-00114.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">eIDAS Regulation<\/a>, the most demanding European regulation in terms of electronic identification and trust services that regulates electronic signatures. It also serves as a legal model for most Latin American countries.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First of all, it is important to note that the legislation defines what is meant by an electronic signature <strong>by type<\/strong>, but does not provide specific examples of when one or the other should be used.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having clarified this point, let&#8217;s look at its definition according to the eIDAS regulation:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>&#8220;Data in electronic form attached to or logically associated with other electronic data used by the signatory to sign.&#8221;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-29019 size-large\" title=\"firma-electr\u00f3nica-legal\" src=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cytonn-photography-ZJEKICY5EXY-unsplash-min-1024x684.webp\" alt=\"firma-electr\u00f3nica-legal\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cytonn-photography-ZJEKICY5EXY-unsplash-min-1024x684.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cytonn-photography-ZJEKICY5EXY-unsplash-min-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cytonn-photography-ZJEKICY5EXY-unsplash-min-768x513.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cytonn-photography-ZJEKICY5EXY-unsplash-min-1536x1025.webp 1536w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/cytonn-photography-ZJEKICY5EXY-unsplash-min-2048x1367.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>What types of legal electronic signature are there?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Article 3 contains 3 definitions:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>Electronic signature:<\/strong> Data in electronic format attached to or logically associated with other electronic data used by the signatory to sign.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Advanced electronic signature:<\/strong> That which complies with the requirements contemplated in article 26, that is:\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Be uniquely linked to the signatory<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>Qualified electronic signature:<\/strong> It is created by means of a <strong>qualified electronic signature creation device based on a qualified certificate.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Article 25 contains the following points on the legal electronic signature:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>A qualified electronic signature<\/strong> shall have a<strong> legal effect equivalent to that of a handwritten signature.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<li><strong>A qualified electronic signature based on a qualified certificate issued in one member state shall be recognized in all other countries.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To achieve this, it is essential to have a certificate that has been issued by a qualified service provider publicly recognized by the EU states and created on a &#8221;qualified&#8221; device.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"highlight wp-block-paragraph\">In practice, carrying out a qualified electronic signature is impractical. There are scenarios where it is absolutely necessary, but <strong>in most cases an advanced electronic signature with some electronic evidence is more than enough<\/strong> to give legal validity to the process.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advanced signature examples<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following are some of the types of<strong> advanced legal electronic signatures<\/strong> offered by Viafirma:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Signature with certificate<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The digital certificate is an identification and signature mechanism, uniquely linked to the signatory. <strong>Both access to the signature request and the certificate are under the exclusive control of the person<\/strong>. Once signed, any modification that may occur will be easily detected.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">OTP Signature<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The use of a <strong>temporary use code sent to the mobile phone is very common<\/strong> in many digital sectors. It is known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/otp-sms\/\"><strong>OTP<\/strong><\/a><strong>code <\/strong>(One Time Password) or validation code.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The system stores the random shortcode to be sent to the user&#8217;s mobile device, <strong>linking the content of the document and <\/strong>the<strong> calculated <\/strong><em><strong>OTP<\/strong><\/em><strong> to perform a validation of the signed document<\/strong>. It is statistically impossible for two different documents to give the same number with the same hash calculation positions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The document will be re-signed with a certificate and time stamp<\/strong> allowing any subsequent modification of the document to be checked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Biometric signature<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This collects <strong>biometric data<\/strong> such as the speed, inclination and pressure of the user when tracing his or her signature. For this it is essential to <strong>have suitable devices for this purpose<\/strong>, whether <em>tablets<\/em> with precision <em>stylus<\/em> and <em>pads<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks to biometrics, it will be the person who signs the document on a device prepared for this purpose. The <b><strong>document is<\/strong><\/b> then <b><strong>signed with a certificate and time-stamped to ensure that it has not been altered at a later date<\/strong><\/b>.<\/p>\r\n<p>After this article, you will no longer have any doubts about whether it is a legal electronic signature!<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"vf_related_posts_wrapper\"><h2 class=\"vf_related_posts_title\">Informaci\u00f3n relacionada<\/h2><div class=\"vf_related_posts\"><article class=\"vc_gitem-post-data-source-post\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/non-eu-countries\/\"><div class=\"vc_gitem-post-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/171224_fuera_de_la_ue-768x475.webp\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Mano sujetando una br\u00fajula, representando la firma electr\u00f3nica en pa\u00edses no miembros de la UE\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/171224_fuera_de_la_ue-768x475.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/171224_fuera_de_la_ue-300x186.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/171224_fuera_de_la_ue-1024x634.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/171224_fuera_de_la_ue.webp 1228w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/div><\/a><div class=\"vc_gitem-post-data\"><h3 class=\"vc_gitem-post-data-source-post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/non-eu-countries\/\">Electronic signature in non-EU countries<\/a><\/h3><p>Manages electronic signatures in non-EU countries<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"vc_gitem-post-data-source-post\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/legal-framework-viafirma-digital-signature\/\"><div class=\"vc_gitem-post-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/blog_banderas-768x475.webp\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image\" alt=\"banderas pa\u00edses\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/blog_banderas-768x475.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/blog_banderas-300x186.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/blog_banderas-1024x634.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/blog_banderas.webp 1228w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/div><\/a><div class=\"vc_gitem-post-data\"><h3 class=\"vc_gitem-post-data-source-post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/legal-framework-viafirma-digital-signature\/\">Legal framework for Viafirma&#8217;s digital signature solutions<\/a><\/h3><p>YES. Viafirma&#8217;s solutions comply with the legal requirements of the<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"vc_gitem-post-data-source-post\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/time-stamps-to-certify-documents\/\"><div class=\"vc_gitem-post-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/260825_blog_sellodetiempo-1-768x475.webp\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Digital hand pointing to a button with a timestamp and clock, representing technology for certifying documents with legal validity\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/260825_blog_sellodetiempo-1-768x475.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/260825_blog_sellodetiempo-1-300x186.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/260825_blog_sellodetiempo-1-1024x634.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/260825_blog_sellodetiempo-1.webp 1228w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/div><\/a><div class=\"vc_gitem-post-data\"><h3 class=\"vc_gitem-post-data-source-post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/time-stamps-to-certify-documents\/\">Time stamps to certify documents<\/a><\/h3><p>Time stamps to certify documents<\/p><\/div><\/article><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You may question yourself, ''Are eSignatures legal for any type of contract? '' Agreements can also be reached remotely. Here's how to do it!...","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"class_list":["post-13291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-laws-and-regulations-blog-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13291"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94278,"href":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13291\/revisions\/94278"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}