--- title: "Is a typed name a legal signature? · Attest" description: "A typed name can be a legal signature under ESIGN, UETA, eIDAS and UK law when typed with intent to sign. Why proof is the weak point, and how a passkey helps." url: https://attest.datahubz.com/legal/is-a-typed-name-a-legal-signature updated: 2026-10-12 --- [Attest](https://attest.datahubz.com/)/[Legal](https://attest.datahubz.com/legal) # Is a typed name a legal signature? Generally yes: in the US, the EU, the UK and many other countries, a typed name counts as an electronic signature when the person typed it intending to sign, because the law looks at intent, not at the form of the mark. The weak point is proof, since a typed name alone shows little about who typed it, which is why Attest has each signer approve with a passkey only they control, making a cryptographic signature bound to the exact document. By DataHubz · Updated October 12, 2026 · 6 min read · General information, not legal advice ## Why a typed name can be a signature Electronic signature laws define a signature by what the person meant to do, not by how the mark looks. A typed name fits those definitions: - **United States.** An electronic signature is "an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record" ([15 U.S.C. 7006(5)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title15/html/USCODE-2023-title15-chap96.htm)); UETA's definition is essentially the same (section 2(8)). The comments published with the [Uniform Electronic Transactions Act](https://www.uniformlaws.org/HigherLogic/System/DownloadDocumentFile.ashx?DocumentFileKey=1b1ffc6b-9b6a-35a4-2a83-7b4d5c0f77a7&forceDialog=0) say a digital signature would qualify, "as would the mere inclusion of one's name as a part of an e-mail message", so long as in each case "the signer executed or adopted the symbol with the intent to sign." - **European Union.** An electronic signature is "data in electronic form which is attached to or logically associated with other data in electronic form and which is used by the signatory to sign" ([eIDAS, Article 3(10)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02014R0910-20241018)). A typed name used to sign is a simple electronic signature, and it can't be denied legal effect or admissibility just because it is electronic (Article 25(1)). - **United Kingdom.** English law asks whether the signer intended to authenticate the document ([Law Commission, 2019](https://cdn.websitebuilder.service.justice.gov.uk/uploads/sites/54/2025/12/Electronic-Execution-Report.pdf)). In [_Golden Ocean Group v Salgaocar Mining Industries_](https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/2012/265) (2012), the Court of Appeal accepted that a typed first name in an email authenticated a guarantee. - **Canada.** Ontario defines an electronic signature as "electronic information that a person creates or adopts in order to sign a document" and that is in, attached to or associated with it ([Electronic Commerce Act, 2000, s. 1(1)](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/00e17)). - **Australia.** A signature requirement is met by a method that identifies the person and indicates their intention, if the method is as reliable as appropriate for the purpose or proven in fact to have done that and, for a signature given to someone other than a government body, the recipient consents, which can be inferred from conduct ([Electronic Transactions Act 1999, ss 5 and 10](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A00553/latest/text)). [Victoria's Act](https://content.legislation.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-04/00-20aa004%20authorised.pdf) says electronically selecting an "I agree" option can be a signature. The UETA comments also note that "No specific technology need be used in order to create a valid signature." A name typed in a cursive font is still a typed name: the font changes how it looks, not what it is. ## Intent is the test Because intent decides, the same typed name can be a signature in one case and not in another. The UETA comments put it directly: "It also may be shown that the requisite intent was not present and accordingly the symbol, sound or process did not amount to a signature." English cases show how far the facts matter: - In [_J Pereira Fernandes v Mehta_](https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/ch/2006/813) (2006), an email address inserted automatically by the internet service provider was not a signature under the Statute of Frauds. - In [_Neocleous v Rees_](https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/ch/2019/2462) (2019), an automatically generated email footer did satisfy the signing rule for a land contract, on the facts of that case. In the words of the UETA comments: "Whether any particular record is 'signed' is a question of fact." ## Where a typed name is not enough Two kinds of rule can override the general answer: 1. **Documents with their own form.** Wills, some property deeds, notarized acts and some family-law and court documents have rules on witnesses, notaries or registers that a typed name doesn't meet. [Are electronic signatures legally binding?](https://attest.datahubz.com/legal/are-electronic-signatures-legally-binding) lists the main ones. 2. **Laws that reserve "signature" for certificate-based methods.** In India, a typed name or a click is not an "electronic signature" under the [IT Act](https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/1999), which requires a certificate from a licensed Certifying Authority; it can still show agreement to a contract the law doesn't require to be signed (IT Act s 10A). In Argentina, a typed name is a "firma electrónica": recognized, but if it is disowned, the party relying on it must prove it ([Ley 25.506](https://servicios.infoleg.gob.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/70000-74999/70749/texact.htm), art. 5). In the EU, where national law requires handwritten form, often only a qualified signature satisfies it. ## The real weakness: proving who typed it Anyone can type any name. If the other side says "I never signed that", the party relying on the signature has to prove it. In US federal courts, the proponent "must produce evidence sufficient to support a finding that the item is what the proponent claims it is" ([Federal Rules of Evidence](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-evidence) 901(a)). Under UETA, a signature is attributable to a person "if it was the act of the person", and that may be shown "in any manner, including a showing of the efficacy of any security procedure" (section 9(a)). A typed name carries none of that proof itself. It doesn't say who typed it, whether the document was changed afterwards, or when it was signed. The evidence has to come from around it, such as the email account it came from or the records of the system used. The stronger that surrounding evidence, the easier the signature is to prove. ## How a passkey approval adds the missing evidence With Attest, a signer can still adopt a signature by typing their name in a handwriting style, or by drawing it. That is what appears on the page. What makes it binding is the passkey approval behind it. A **passkey** is a cryptographic key only the signer controls, unlocked with Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello or the device PIN. Each signer's passkey is registered to their email address through their own private signing link, and Attest never sees its secret. | What a dispute asks | A typed name alone | A typed name with Attest's passkey approval | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Who signed? | Anyone could have typed it; proof has to come from elsewhere | Signed with a passkey only the signer controls, registered to their email address. Attest confirms control of the email address and the passkey, not a government ID | | Did they mean to sign? | Depends on the context | The passkey signs a statement that begins "I have reviewed and I sign", and must confirm the signer is present and verified | | Which document? | A name can be copied into another file | The statement includes the SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact document and of the signer's entries; change one byte and verification fails | | When? | File dates can be edited | The signing time is set by Attest's server and signed by the passkey; the Horizen blockchain block time shows when the signed state was anchored | | Who can check it? | Whoever holds the records | Anyone, free, with no account, using the open-source verifier included in the signed copy, even without Attest | A **fingerprint** (SHA-256 hash) is a short code calculated from a file's contents that changes if a single byte changes. Anyone can re-check each passkey signature from the evidence with any WebAuthn library, the W3C standard behind passkeys. The result is the same legal category, an electronic signature, with far more evidence behind it. Signers still need no account and no password, and they never pay. Your first 2 documents are free, in total, then the Signing plan is $5 a month for 20 documents. If a signature is ever disputed, [proving an electronic signature in a dispute](https://attest.datahubz.com/guides/i-never-signed-that) explains how that evidence is used. ## Questions people ask Is typing my name at the end of an email a legal signature? It can be, if you typed it intending to sign. The comments to the US Uniform Electronic Transactions Act say a name included in an email may qualify, and an English court accepted a typed first name in an email as authenticating a guarantee. Whether it was meant as a signature is a question of fact in each case. Is a typed signature in a cursive font more valid? No. The font changes how the name looks, not its legal effect: the laws are technology neutral and look at intent. What makes any signature easier to rely on is the evidence behind it, such as who approved it and whether the document changed. Can I sign a contract by clicking "I agree"? Generally yes. The UETA comments treat the standard click-through process as an electronic signature, and Victoria's Electronic Transactions Act says selecting an "I agree" option can be a signature. As with a typed name, intent and evidence decide whether it holds. What if someone typed my name without my permission? Under UETA, an electronic signature is attributable to a person "if it was the act of the person", which may be shown in any manner. A name someone else typed without your authority wasn't your act, so the question becomes one of evidence about who typed it. How does Attest prove who signed? Each signer approves with a passkey registered to their email address, and Attest confirms control of that address and the passkey, not a government ID. The passkey signs a statement naming the exact document's fingerprint and the signer's entries, and the signed state is anchored on the Horizen public blockchain, so anyone can re-check it for free. ## Sources 1. [15 U.S.C. Chapter 96, Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (United States Code, 2023 edition)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title15/html/USCODE-2023-title15-chap96.htm), U.S. Government Publishing Office, read October 11, 2026 2. [Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (1999), final text with comments](https://www.uniformlaws.org/HigherLogic/System/DownloadDocumentFile.ashx?DocumentFileKey=1b1ffc6b-9b6a-35a4-2a83-7b4d5c0f77a7&forceDialog=0), Uniform Law Commission, read October 11, 2026 3. [Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS), consolidated text of October 18, 2024](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02014R0910-20241018), EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union, read October 11, 2026 4. [Electronic execution of documents, Law Com No 386 (2019)](https://cdn.websitebuilder.service.justice.gov.uk/uploads/sites/54/2025/12/Electronic-Execution-Report.pdf), Law Commission of England and Wales, read October 11, 2026 5. [Golden Ocean Group Ltd v Salgaocar Mining Industries \[2012\] EWCA Civ 265](https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/2012/265), Find Case Law, The National Archives, read October 11, 2026 6. [J Pereira Fernandes SA v Mehta \[2006\] EWHC 813 (Ch)](https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/ch/2006/813), Find Case Law, The National Archives, read October 11, 2026 7. [Neocleous v Rees \[2019\] EWHC 2462 (Ch)](https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/ch/2019/2462), Find Case Law, The National Archives, read October 11, 2026 8. [Electronic Commerce Act, 2000 (Ontario)](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/00e17), Government of Ontario (e-Laws), read October 11, 2026 9. [Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Cth)](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A00553/latest/text), Federal Register of Legislation, Australian Government, read October 11, 2026 10. [Electronic Transactions (Victoria) Act 2000, authorised version 004](https://content.legislation.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-04/00-20aa004%20authorised.pdf), Victorian Legislation, State of Victoria, read October 11, 2026 11. [The Information Technology Act, 2000](https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/1999), India Code, Legislative Department, Government of India, read October 11, 2026 12. [Ley 25.506 de Firma Digital, consolidated text](https://servicios.infoleg.gob.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/70000-74999/70749/texact.htm), InfoLEG, Ministerio de Justicia, Argentina, read October 11, 2026 13. [Federal Rules of Evidence](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-evidence), United States Courts, read October 11, 2026 ## Read next - [Are electronic signatures legally binding?](https://attest.datahubz.com/legal/are-electronic-signatures-legally-binding) Yes, for most agreements: ESIGN, UETA, eIDAS and similar laws say a signature can't be refused just for being electronic. The laws, exceptions and evidence. - [Electronic vs digital signatures: the difference](https://attest.datahubz.com/legal/electronic-vs-digital-signatures) An electronic signature is a legal idea; a digital signature is a cryptographic technique. How they relate, where the EU tiers fit and where Attest fits. - ["I never signed that": proving an e-signature](https://attest.datahubz.com/guides/i-never-signed-that) When a counterparty denies signing: how e-signature disputes are argued, the evidence to gather, and how Attest's passkey signatures answer the claim. - [Document signing](https://attest.datahubz.com/sign) Electronic signatures with a passkey: no account or password for signers, documents encrypted in the browser, and a signed copy anyone can verify. --- Source: https://attest.datahubz.com/legal/is-a-typed-name-a-legal-signature