E-signatures are generally capable of legal effect, but electronic form is only one part of the analysis. Governing law may require intent, consent, attribution, retention, witnessing, notarization, a particular signature level, or another formality. A visual signature drawn on an iPhone may work for many ordinary agreements, yet it does not automatically prove who signed, provide an audit trail, or satisfy every regulated transaction.
Important: This is a general comparison of primary legal sources, not legal advice. Rules vary by jurisdiction and document type. Sources were reviewed on .
United States: what the federal ESIGN Act says
15 U.S.C. § 7001 says that, for transactions in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a signature, contract, or record may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is electronic. A contract likewise may not be denied effect solely because an electronic signature or record formed it.
The word solely matters. ESIGN does not remove contract defenses, force every person to accept electronic records, or waive transaction-specific formalities. Consumer disclosures can carry additional consent and access requirements, and the Act contains exclusions.
State law: UETA is a model, not a universal copy
The Uniform Law Commission describes UETA as establishing legal equivalence between electronic records and signatures and paper counterparts. UETA is a model state law; enacted versions and other state statutes can differ.
So check the law of the state that actually governs your transaction rather than assuming a national rule. State rules can matter for real estate, estate planning, notarization, government filings, consumer notices, and court procedure.
European Union: simple and qualified signatures differ
Article 25 of the eIDAS Regulation says an electronic signature may not be denied legal effect or admissibility solely because it is electronic or not qualified. It separately says a qualified electronic signature has the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature.
This does not give every simple signature the automatic status of a qualified one. Signature level, trust-service rules, evidentiary burden, and governing law still matter.
England and Wales: required formalities still apply
The Law Commission says an electronic signature is capable of executing a document, including a deed, when the signer intends to authenticate it and all applicable execution formalities are satisfied. Those formalities may include witnessing or a specified signature form.
Five questions determine whether the workflow fits
- Which law governs? Where you and the other signer are, and which law the document names, can change the answer.
- What document is it? A service agreement and an estate document should not be treated identically.
- Did the signer intend and consent? Pasting someone's signature image into a file does not become authorized just because the file is electronic.
- Can attribution and integrity be proved? If you had to show a year from now that this person signed this exact file, what would you point at? Identity checks, timestamps, audit trails, and tamper evidence are that answer.
- Can the record be retained? Keep the completed document and evidence explaining how it was signed.
Validity and evidentiary strength are different
A graphical signature may meet a broad definition of electronic signature but provide little evidence about identity, time, consent, or later file changes. A signing platform may add authentication, event logs, certificates, tamper detection, and delivery records.
Stronger evidence does not make an otherwise illegal agreement legal, and a simple method is not automatically invalid. Choose assurance in proportion to value, regulation, sensitivity, and likelihood of dispute.
The difference shows up when someone disagrees with you. Say you sign a two-page services agreement by drawing your name on your phone and emailing the PDF back. Months later the other side says the terms were different, or that they never saw that version. The signature itself is not what fails you: what you now need is everything around it — which file was sent, when, by whom, and whether it changed afterwards. Where those files live afterwards is its own problem, covered in storing important documents on iPhone. That is why the questions above end with retention, and why an ordinary agreement between people who trust each other can be signed one way while a disputed or high-value one deserves another.
Documents that need special checking
Do not rely on a generic article for wills and estate documents, deeds and land records, notarized documents, court or government filings, family-law documents, negotiable instruments, or regulated consumer notices. Federal, state, registry, and sector rules can exclude a category or impose extra steps.
Some jurisdictions authorize electronic wills or remote online notarization under detailed conditions while others do not. Confirm the current rule with the receiving institution or a qualified lawyer.
What signing in ScanLens does — and does not do
ScanLens’s public product materials describe placing a graphical signature on a PDF on an iPhone and exporting the file. They do not describe a qualified-certificate, notarial, or legal identity-verification service, and the app does not decide enforceability. Confirm any required assurance directly with the receiving party or adviser.
Keep the unsigned version, the completed PDF, the messages showing who asked for the signature and who sent it back, and any other evidence you would want in hand later. For high-value, regulated, cross-border, or disputed matters, use professional advice and a signing method matched to the legal requirement.
See how to add a signature to a PDF, the broader e-signature workflow, and document security considerations.
Primary sources
- US Code: 15 U.S.C. § 7001
- Uniform Law Commission: UETA
- EUR-Lex: eIDAS Article 25
- Law Commission: electronic execution
This article provides general information and does not create a lawyer-client relationship.
