---
title: Legal validity
description: What kind of signature Docustay produces, in plain language.
---

# Legal validity

What kind of signature Docustay produces, in plain language.

## Three kinds of electronic signature

A simple electronic signature is any electronic sign of agreement, such as a typed or drawn name with a record of intent. An advanced one adds that the signature is uniquely linked to the signer and can show tampering. A qualified one is made with a certificate issued after an identity check by a regulated provider.

## What Docustay produces

A simple electronic signature with a strong record: the signer's recorded agreement to sign electronically, the wording they saw, time, address and browser, a fingerprint of the document, and a digital seal over the finished file that shows any later change. Where a code is sent to an email address, that is recorded too.

## What it does not do

It does not produce qualified signatures, and it does not check identity beyond email or an access code you share. It does not decide whether a particular document may be signed electronically.

## The laws people ask about

In the United States, federal and state law generally treat an electronic signature as acceptable for many documents when the people agreed to sign electronically and the record can be kept. In the European Union, a simple electronic signature is not denied effect only because it is electronic. Some documents are excluded in many places.

## Not legal advice

This page is general information about how signing works. It does not promise any legal outcome for any document. If a document matters, ask someone qualified where you are.

## A worked example

Two people agree to a services contract and each signs through Docustay. The certificate on the last page records that each agreed to sign electronically, the wording each saw, when and from where each signed, and the fingerprint of the document. If a dispute comes, that record is the evidence of what was agreed. Whether it is enough depends on the document and the place, which is why this page does not promise an outcome.

## Documents that are often excluded

In many places certain documents cannot be signed electronically or need extra steps, for example some wills, some family documents and some property transfers. Check the rules where you are before relying on an electronic signature for these.

## Choosing a higher level

If you need a qualified signature, or an identity check by a regulated provider, Docustay is not the right tool today. It does not offer them and does not suggest it does.

## Keep reading

- [Proof and the signed copy](/product/proof)
- [Verify a signed PDF](/verify)
- [Security](/trust/security)
- [Terms](/legal/terms)
- [Use cases](/use-cases)