What is Virtual Signature?

An informal name for an electronic signature: a signature applied on a screen rather than on paper.

Virtual signature is not a legal or technical term. It is what people call an electronic signature when they are describing what it looks like rather than what it is, and it covers the same thing: a mark made with intent to sign, applied to a document on a device instead of with a pen. There is no legal category called a virtual signature, so anything written about its validity is really about electronic signatures under the ESIGN Act, UETA or eIDAS.

Drop your document here and sign it now. PDF, Word and Excel all work: a .docx or .xlsx is laid out in your browser exactly as it was written, so there is nothing to convert first. Add a signature, a date, a company stamp or a watermark, then download it sealed. Free to start, no account, and the file is never uploaded to open it.

Is a virtual signature legally binding?

The question is really whether an electronic signature is binding, and for ordinary commercial contracts it is, in the United States, the EU, the UK and most of the world. What matters is intent to sign, the ability to attribute the signature to the person, and evidence that the document has not changed since. The word virtual adds nothing and takes nothing away.

Virtual signature and virtual signing sessions

The phrase is sometimes used for a different thing: a virtual signing, where parties execute a document over a video call rather than in a room. That is a procedural arrangement, and some jurisdictions have specific rules for it, particularly where a witness or a notary is involved.

What PDF Verified is, and what it is not

Electronic signature law is settled in broad terms and specific in the details. The ESIGN Act, UETA, eIDAS and their equivalents recognise electronic signatures across more than 190 countries, and what decides a particular case is intent to sign plus evidence connecting the signature to the signer, which is what the audit certificate records. Certain document types carry their own formalities wherever you are: deeds, wills, some property instruments, and anything requiring a witness or a notary. Sign only what you are authorised to sign, since applying another person signature without their authority is forgery whatever tool is used.

PDF Verified is a tool for preparing, signing, stamping and checking documents. It is not a law firm, a compliance service or a forensic examiner, and nothing here is legal, financial or compliance advice. Requirements differ by country, by document type and by the party asking, so check what applies to your document before you rely on it, and take advice where the document matters. You are responsible for the documents you create, sign and send, and for having the authority to do so: signing or stamping in somebody else name, or as an organisation you do not represent, is forgery whatever tool is used. To the extent the law allows, we accept no liability for how a document made with this tool is used or relied on. The full position is in our terms of service.