What is an electronic signature? Complete 2026 guide

An electronic signature (e-signature) is legally defined under the US eSIGN Act of 2000 as "an electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record."

That definition is deliberately broad. A typed name at the bottom of an email, a clicked checkbox on a terms page, a scanned image of a wet signature pasted into a PDF, and a cryptographically-bound PAdES signature all qualify. What separates them is evidentiary strength — how well you can prove, months or years later, who signed and when.

The 4 tiers of e-signatures

1. Simple electronic signatures (SES) — typed names, click-to-agree checkboxes. Legally valid but weak evidence. 2. Advanced electronic signatures (AES) — uniquely linked to the signer, capable of identifying the signer, created using signature-creation data under the signer's sole control, linked to the data in a way that detects tampering. This is what SignBolt produces by default. 3. Qualified electronic signatures (QES) — AES plus a qualified certificate issued by a Qualified Trust Service Provider (eIDAS term). Required in the EU for some high-value documents. 4. Biometric/witnessed — additional identity proofing via ID photo, video witness, or live notarization.

What SignBolt produces

SignBolt generates PAdES (PDF Advanced Electronic Signatures) that satisfy AES criteria under eIDAS and pass muster for eSIGN Act and UETA in the US. Every signed document includes:

• X.509 certificate chain from the signer's email-verified identity
• SHA-256 hash of the document content at signing time
• RFC 3161 timestamp from a qualified Timestamp Authority
• Complete audit trail: IP, user agent, authentication method, document opened/signed times

When a simple typed name is enough

For low-value agreements — consent forms, NDAs between friends, informal waivers — a typed name + email confirmation may be all you need. The law doesn't require qualified signatures for everything; it only requires intent to sign and attribution to the signer.

When you need more

Real estate closings, international contracts, notarized documents, employment agreements in regulated industries (healthcare, finance), and anything likely to be litigated — use advanced or qualified signatures.

Next steps

• Prep your document on SnapPDF — merge, compress, add page numbers
• Send for signature on SignBolt — PAdES-compliant, audit-trailed, eSIGN Act + ESIGN-AU + eIDAS compliant
• Read: Are e-signatures legally binding in 2026?