ESIGN Act and UETA compliant e-signature software
US law doesn't ask for a special certificate or an approved vendor. It asks for four things: intent, consent, association, and retention. Here is exactly how a document signed with Certyneo covers each one, and where your own process still matters.
What “ESIGN and UETA compliant” actually means
The federal ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. § 7001, in force since 2000) and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act adopted by 49 states say the same thing: a signature or contract can't be denied legal effect just because it is electronic. Both laws are technology-neutral. There is no government agency that certifies e-signature software, no official “ESIGN approved” list, and no required type of certificate. So when a vendor says it is ESIGN and UETA compliant, the honest meaning is this: the signing process it runs gives you what the statutes require, and the evidence it keeps lets you prove it later. Compliance belongs to the transaction, not to a logo. That is why this page walks through the process step by step instead of showing you a badge.
How a Certyneo signature covers the four legal requirements
Intent to sign. Each signer opens the document from a personal link, reviews it, checks a box confirming they have read it, places their signature, and clicks a clearly labeled “Sign document” button. Nothing is signed by default or by accident, and a “Decline” option is always one click away. Consent to do business electronically. Signers are invited to an electronic process and choose to go through with it or to decline. Between businesses, proceeding is generally how consent is shown. For consumer transactions, ESIGN adds a disclosure you need to provide before the signer consents — see the consumer section below. Association with the record. The signature is applied to one specific version of one specific document. Once everyone has signed, the final PDF is sealed and its SHA-256 fingerprint is written to the audit trail, so any later change to the file is detectable. Retention and reproduction. Every party receives the completed document and can download it at any time. Signed documents and their audit trails are archived for 10 years, which comfortably covers typical US record-retention periods for contracts.
Standard or advanced signature: which one for US documents?
Certyneo offers two signature levels that both satisfy the ESIGN Act and UETA. The difference is how strongly the signer's identity is tied to the signature — which matters if someone later claims “that wasn't me.” Standard signature. The signer is reached through their email address and signs from a unique link. This is the everyday choice for quotes, purchase orders, NDAs, statements of work, and most B2B agreements. Advanced signature. Before signing, the signer must also enter a one-time code sent by text message to their mobile phone. The successful verification is recorded in the audit trail. Choose it for higher-stakes documents: employment agreements, leases, independent contractor agreements, settlement or loan paperwork — anything where you'd want a second identity factor on record. US law doesn't require the advanced level for any ordinary contract. It is an evidence decision, not a validity decision: the more a dispute would cost you, the more identity proof you want attached.
Signing with consumers: the ESIGN consent disclosure
If the person signing is a consumer — a tenant, a patient, a retail customer, a borrower — and a law requires you to give them information in writing, ESIGN § 7001(c) requires a clear disclosure before they agree to receive it electronically. It must tell them that they can ask for a paper copy (and whether there's a fee), that they can withdraw consent and how, what the consent covers, how to update their contact details, and what hardware and software they need to open and keep the records. This disclosure is the sender's responsibility, because only you know your transaction. The practical approach with Certyneo is to make it part of what the signer sees before signing: place it on the first page of the document, or in the message that accompanies your signature request. Since the signer then opens and signs a PDF from that same request, they also demonstrate that they can access the electronic format — the last piece the statute asks for. For business-to-business contracts, this consumer disclosure isn't required.
One platform for US and European counterparties
Certyneo was built under the European Union's eIDAS regulation, which is stricter than US law: it defines simple, advanced, and qualified signature levels and regulates the providers behind them. A process designed for that framework meets the more flexible ESIGN and UETA standards as a matter of course. That is useful if you sell, hire, or lease across the Atlantic. The same account sends a standard signature to a customer in Texas and an advanced or qualified signature to a partner in Germany or France, with the signing screens available in the signer's language. A contract signed electronically by a European party is just as valid in the US as one signed in Ohio: ESIGN looks at the four requirements, not at where the signer sits.
What an e-signature platform does not cover
A few document types are carved out of ESIGN and UETA — wills and testamentary trusts, most family-law matters such as adoption and divorce, court orders and official court documents, and certain notices like utility shut-offs, foreclosure or eviction notices, and product recalls. State rules vary, so check before you send one of these. Notarization is also a separate act. If your document must be notarized — many real-estate deeds, powers of attorney, and affidavits — an electronic signature alone is not enough; you need a commissioned notary, in person or through a state-approved remote online notarization service. Certyneo does not provide notarization. This page is general information, not legal advice. For a high-stakes or regulated transaction, confirm the requirements with an attorney licensed in your state.
What every Certyneo audit trail records
ESIGN and UETA make an electronic signature valid. Evidence is what makes it enforceable. Each completed document comes with an audit trail you can hand to opposing counsel or a judge.
Who signed
The signer's name and email address, the IP address used, and — for advanced signatures — confirmation that the one-time text-message code was validated.
When each step happened
Timestamped events for the full lifecycle: sent, viewed, signed, declined, completed, and downloaded, for every recipient.
Exactly what was signed
A SHA-256 fingerprint of the sealed PDF. If a single character of the document is altered after signing, the fingerprint no longer matches.
Kept and reproducible
The signed document and its audit trail are archived for 10 years and can be downloaded by the parties whenever a copy is needed.
Keep going
- → Are electronic signatures legal in the US?
- → The four requirements for a legally binding e-signature
- → Documents you can't sign electronically
- → Free US legal document templates
- → Security, encryption, and archiving at Certyneo
- → See Certyneo pricing
- → Electronic vs digital signature
- → E-signature laws by state
Frequently asked questions
Is Certyneo compliant with the ESIGN Act and UETA?
Yes. A document signed with Certyneo records the signer's intent, is tied to one specific sealed version of the document, and is retained and reproducible for all parties, with a timestamped audit trail. For consumer transactions, you add the ESIGN consent disclosure to the document or the signature request.
Is there an official ESIGN Act certification for e-signature software?
No. Neither the ESIGN Act nor UETA creates a certification, an approved-vendor list, or a required technology. Any vendor claiming to be “ESIGN certified” is describing its own process. What matters is that the process meets the four statutory requirements and leaves evidence behind.
Do I need the advanced signature for a contract to be valid in the US?
No. A standard electronic signature is legally valid for ordinary contracts in all 50 states. The advanced level adds a one-time code sent by text message, which strengthens your proof of who signed. It's worth using when the amount at stake or the risk of a dispute is higher.
Will a document signed with Certyneo hold up in court?
Under ESIGN and UETA, a court can't refuse a signature or a record just because it is electronic. The outcome of a dispute then turns on evidence. The audit trail — signer email, IP address, timestamps, text-message verification, and the document's SHA-256 fingerprint — exists to supply that evidence.
Does Certyneo show the ESIGN consumer consent disclosure for me?
Not automatically, because the required content depends on your transaction — for example, whether you charge for paper copies and how a consumer can withdraw consent. Include your disclosure on the first page of the document or in the message sent with the signature request so the signer reads it before signing.
Can I notarize a document with Certyneo?
No. Notarization requires a commissioned notary public, either in person or through a state-approved remote online notarization provider. Certyneo handles the electronic signature itself. If your document only needs signatures, not a notary's seal, an e-signature is sufficient.
Is a contract valid if one party signs in the US and the other in Europe?
Yes. ESIGN and UETA don't depend on the signer's location, and the EU's eIDAS regulation recognizes electronic signatures as well. Certyneo lets you choose the signature level per document, so the same contract can satisfy both sides.
Where are my signed documents stored?
Documents are encrypted in transit and hosted in the European Union under GDPR. US law doesn't require e-signature records to be stored in the United States; it requires that they remain accessible and accurately reproducible, which the 10-year archive is designed for.