Electronic signatures in India: questions to check before relying on one

Electronic signing is not a single outcome. A document process may involve a drawn signature, a typed acceptance, a provider-backed signature method, a certificate, a timestamp, an audit record, or more than one of these. What is appropriate depends on the document and transaction. Do not infer the legal effect of a document merely from a signature image or the presence of an activity record.

Questions to check before you sign or send

• Is the document type suitable for electronic execution, or does it require a different formality such as stamping, witnesses, notarisation, registration, or professional advice?
• Does each person have authority to sign for themselves or the organisation they represent?
• What method is actually available in the signing workspace for this document and deployment?
• What evidence will be retained: final version, signer actions, timestamps, notices, authentication records where available, and the completed document?

Check the available method, not an assumed method

The current Wizard Legal workspace makes the available signing method visible for the selected document and deployment. Its local drawn-signature workflow records product activity and can produce an evidence record, but it is not a certificate authority, a conclusion about legal effect, or a substitute for required formalities. Provider-backed methods must not be assumed available until the product shows them as enabled and verified.