How to Sign a PDF Online Legally: E-Signature Rules in the US, EU, UK and India

In the US, the EU, the UK and India, a signature generally cannot be refused legal effect just because it is electronic, so drawing, typing or uploading your signature onto a PDF is valid for most everyday agreements. The exceptions matter: wills, some family and property matters, and documents where the law or the other party demands a certificate-based or qualified signature.

The question people actually ask is "will this hold up?" The honest answer is that the method of signing is rarely the weak point. What matters more is whether the document type allows electronic signing at all, whether you can show who signed and that they meant to, and whether the other side accepts the format. This guide covers the law in four jurisdictions, the US, the EU, the UK and India, then shows how to sign so the result is clean and easy to defend.

Key takeaways

• US federal law (the ESIGN Act) says a signature or contract "may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form" (15 U.S.C. 7001).
• The EU's eIDAS Regulation says the same for electronic signatures, and gives only qualified electronic signatures the "equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature" (eIDAS Article 25).
• Wills and testamentary trusts are excluded in both the US ESIGN Act and India's IT Act.
• Siliph's Sign PDF adds a visible electronic signature (your drawn, typed or uploaded signature placed on the page). It is not a certificate-based digital signature.
• Keep the email trail, send the final signed copy to every party, and flatten the PDF so the signature cannot be moved.

Electronic signature or digital signature

The two terms get mixed up constantly, and the difference decides what you need.

An electronic signature is a broad category. The European Commission notes that "something as simple as writing your name under an e-mail might constitute an electronic signature" (European Commission). A drawn signature placed on a PDF is an electronic signature.

A digital signature, in the technical sense, uses a certificate and cryptographic keys. The Commission describes an advanced electronic signature as one that is "uniquely linked to and capable of identifying the signatory" and "linked to the document in a way that any subsequent change of the data is detectable", adding that the most common technology for this is a public-key infrastructure "which involves the use of certificates and cryptographic keys" (European Commission).

Most everyday contracts only need the first kind. Some regulated filings and certain EU transactions need the second.

What the law says, by jurisdiction

United States

The ESIGN Act covers transactions "in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce" and says a contract "may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because an electronic signature or electronic record was used in its formation" (15 U.S.C. 7001). At state level, the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act does similar work. The New York City Bar notes that "New York is the only U.S. state without a version of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act", relying instead on its own Electronic Signatures and Records Act (NYC Bar).

ESIGN does not apply to everything. Its exceptions include laws governing "wills, codicils, or testamentary trusts", "adoption, divorce, or other matters of family law", "court orders or notices, or official court documents", notices of utility shut-off, foreclosure or eviction for a primary residence, cancellation of health or life insurance, product recall notices, and documents accompanying hazardous materials (15 U.S.C. 7003).

European Union

Under eIDAS, "An electronic signature shall not be denied legal effect and admissibility as evidence in legal proceedings solely on the grounds that it is in an electronic form or that it does not meet the requirements for qualified electronic signatures." The next paragraph adds: "A qualified electronic signature shall have the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature" (Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, Article 25). The 2024 update known as eIDAS 2 (Regulation (EU) 2024/1183) left those two paragraphs in place.

In practice, a simple signature on a PDF is admissible evidence, but if the deal is disputed you may have to prove who signed. A qualified signature, made with a qualified certificate, carries the same weight as ink automatically.

United Kingdom

The Law Commission's 2019 report concluded that "An electronic signature is capable in law of being used to execute a document (including a deed) provided that (i) the person signing the document intends to authenticate the document and (ii) any formalities relating to execution of that document are satisfied" (Law Commission). Note the second condition. A deed, for example, still has its own execution formalities, such as signing in front of a witness, and an electronic signature does not remove them.

India

The Information Technology Act, 2000 allows a person to authenticate an electronic record by an electronic signature or authentication technique that "is considered reliable" and "may be specified in the Second Schedule" (section 3A) (PRS India, consolidated IT Act). The Act does not apply to documents listed in its First Schedule. After a 2022 amendment, that list covers most negotiable instruments other than cheques (with carve-outs for instruments involving regulated financial entities), most powers of attorney, trusts and wills. The same amendment removed contracts for the sale of immovable property from the list (Gazette notification S.O. 4720(E)), though stamp duty and registration rules can still require other formalities.

How to sign a PDF with Siliph

Siliph's Sign PDF is free with no account and works in any browser, including on phones.

1. Open Sign PDF and upload the document (up to 200 MB).
2. Click Sign in the toolbar, then New Signature. Choose Draw to sign with a finger or mouse, Type to write your name in a handwriting font, or Upload to use a photo of your signature on paper. Uploaded signatures have the paper background removed.
3. Pick Black Ink, Blue Ink or Original, then click the signature line to place it. Drag and resize it to fit.
4. Use Text to add the date and your printed name on the lines provided. If the form has fields, click into them and type.
5. Click Save and download the signed PDF. Open it once to check everything sits where it should.

If several people need to sign, do it in sequence: the first signer downloads and sends the file on, and the next adds their signature to that copy. Sign PDF has no request-and-track workflow, so agree the order by email.

Make your signature easy to defend

A signature is only as strong as the evidence around it. These habits cost nothing:

• Keep the trail. Save the email or message that sent you the document and the one in which you returned it. It shows who signed, when, and that both sides treated it as agreed.
• Sign the final version. Never sign a draft that might still change. If changes come back, sign a fresh copy.
• Lock the layout. Run the signed file through Flatten PDF, which merges the signature and form entries into the page so they cannot be moved in another viewer.
• Protect it in transit. For contracts with personal or financial details, add a password with Protect PDF and send the password separately. Our guide to password-protecting a PDF covers choosing one.
• Send everyone the final copy. Each party should hold the same signed file.

When you need more than a drawn signature

Use a certificate-based or qualified signature service, or wet ink, when:

• the other party, a bank or a government body explicitly asks for a digital signature certificate or a qualified electronic signature;
• the document is a will, a trust deed or another item on the exclusion lists above;
• the document is a deed or another instrument with its own execution formalities, such as witnessing;
• you are filing with a court, which will publish its own e-filing rules.

Sign PDF answers this honestly in its own FAQ: it adds a visible electronic signature, and if the other side asks for a certificate-based digital signature, confirm what they accept before you send.

On privacy, Sign PDF runs on Siliph's servers. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is processed automatically with no human access, and is deleted within 2 hours. Download your signed copy straight away.

Frequently asked questions

Is a typed or drawn signature on a PDF legally binding?

In the US, EU, UK and India, an electronic signature generally cannot be rejected just for being electronic, so a typed or drawn signature can bind you to most contracts. Exceptions apply to wills, some family and property matters, and documents that require a qualified or certificate-based signature.

What is the difference between an electronic and a digital signature?

An electronic signature is any electronic mark used to sign, including a drawn signature on a PDF. A digital signature uses a certificate and cryptographic keys, which identifies the signer and shows whether the document changed after signing.

Which documents cannot be signed electronically in the US?

The ESIGN Act excludes wills, codicils and testamentary trusts, adoption, divorce and other family law matters, court orders and official court documents, and certain notices such as utility shut-offs, foreclosure or eviction, insurance cancellation and product recalls.

Can I e-sign a property sale agreement in India?

The 2022 amendment removed contracts for the sale of immovable property from the IT Act's exclusion list. Stamp duty and registration laws still apply, and registration usually needs other formalities, so take legal advice for property transactions.

Does Siliph keep a copy of my signed document?

No. The file is processed automatically on Siliph's servers with no human access and deleted within 2 hours. Download the signed PDF and keep your own copy.