E-Signature Compliance
TemplateDocs lets you collect legally binding electronic signatures as part of your document workflows, without the need for a separate signing service. Electronic signatures are legally recognized under the US ESIGN Act and UETA, and the EU's eIDAS regulation, subject to applicable legal requirements.
This page explains how TemplateDocs supports electronic signature requirements, protects signed documents, and provides evidence of the signing process.
Legal Framework
Electronic signature laws vary by jurisdiction. The following frameworks govern electronic signatures in the United States, European Union, and United Kingdom.
| Region | Framework | Status |
|---|---|---|
| United States | ESIGN Act | Supported |
| United States | UETA | Supported |
| European Union | eIDAS | Supported (Simple Electronic Signature - SES) |
| United Kingdom | UK eIDAS & domestic law | Supported (Simple Electronic Signature - SES) |
TemplateDocs electronic signatures are generally suitable for most common business use cases, such as agreements, proposals, and approvals. Some documents or jurisdictions may require additional identity verification or specific signing formalities, such as witnesses, notarization, or handwritten signatures. If you're unsure about the legal requirements for your documents, consult a legal professional.
How Signing Works
TemplateDocs uses a structured signing process to verify access, capture the signer's intent, and record their agreement to the document.
- Verify email address. Each signer receives an invitation with a secure signing link. Before accessing the document, they must enter a 6-digit verification code sent to their email address.
- Review and sign. Signers can review the entire document before completing the required signature fields. They can also decline to sign, which is explicitly recorded.
- Confirm consent. Before submitting, signers must explicitly agree to sign electronically and acknowledge the legal effect of their electronic signature through a confirmation dialog, where they click "Agree and Submit" to complete the signing process.
Signing Evidence
TemplateDocs maintains a detailed record of the signing process, providing evidence of who signed, when they signed, and which document was presented for signing.
Audit Trail
Signing activity is recorded in the workflow's Run History, including invitation sending, signing status, and completion events. Each event includes a timestamp.
Signature Certificate
Each completed signed PDF includes an appended signature certificate containing:
- A unique envelope ID and signing timeline
- Each signer's name, email address, signature, IP address, and device information (browser and operating system)
- Email verification, document viewing, and signing timestamps
- A SHA-256 fingerprint of the document presented for signing
Document Integrity
The SHA-256 fingerprint identifies the original document presented to signers. It can be compared with the fingerprint of the original document to detect differences. The original document remains available in TemplateDocs, allowing customers to retrieve it when needed.
Security and Data Retention
TemplateDocs protects signing requests and signed documents through secure access controls, encrypted storage, and customer-managed retention.
Access Protection
Each signer receives a unique, time-limited signing link. Access requires email verification using a one-time code.
Signers can revisit their documents until they sign or decline. Signing links become invalid when the signer completes their signature or the signing request is declined, canceled, or expires.
Document Security
Signed documents and signing records are encrypted in transit and at rest, with access restricted to authorized TemplateDocs personnel.
Data Retention
Signed documents and signing records, including audit events, are retained until the customer deletes them or closes their account. Deleting a workflow does not automatically delete its signed documents.
Related
- Sign Step - add signers, fields and a signing deadline
- History - follow requests and download signed PDFs
- Data Retention - what is kept and for how long
