Can a scanned signature be notarized?
Asked by: Prof. Luisa Jast III | Last update: July 3, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (43 votes)
Yes, you can notarize a document online using electronic notarization in many jurisdictions. The legal requirements and regulations may vary depending on your location. You should check with the notary laws prevalent in your region for the procedures and technologies required.
Is a scanned signature acceptable?
Well, yes - if you're doing it for the fun of it. But if you use this method to sign important documents, you need to know that a scanned signature holds no legal validity. To create a legally acceptable electronic signature in a Word or PDF document, your client needs to have their own digital signature certificate.
Is a scanned notarized document valid?
Are scanned documents legal? Even though you can physically scan a notarized document, this does not necessarily mean the other party is going to accept it. If you are planning on scanning a notarized document, you should reach out to the other party ahead of time to see if he or she will accept it.
Can you use an electronic signature on a legal document?
Electronic signatures hold up in court since they are legal signatures. The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, otherwise known as the E-Sign Act, states that electronic signatures shouldn't be considered invalid simply because they're electronic.
Can you notarize a DocuSign signature?
Send, sign and notarize online. Use the Docusign experience you know and love to securely send, sign and notarize critical agreements remotely. Docusign Notary empowers your notaries public with the digital tools they need to conduct remote online notarization (RON) transactions.
Remote Online Notary | Electronic Signatures, Electronic Notarial Seals, and Digital Certificates
Can I notarize a scanned signature?
Remote online notarization (RON)
Keep in mind that the states of California, Missouri, and Illinois do not regulate or approve this process. However, documents electronically notarized in other states are still legally valid when used in these states.
Does Docusign count as a real signature?
Are DocuSign's electronic signatures legally binding? DocuSign eSignatures are valid and legally binding across the globe and in use in 188 countries around the world.
What are the four requirements for an electronic signature to be valid?
- Intent to sign. ...
- Consent to do business electronically. ...
- Opt-out clause. ...
- Signed copies. ...
- Record retention.
Is a scanned signature a wet signature?
An electronic signature, or eSignature, is an electronic representation of your wet, digital, or wet inked signature which appears as a graphic image of your signature. An example would be "John Smith" scanned into the computer and then digitally signed to produce an electronic version of John's wet ink signature.
What is the difference between an electronic signature and a digital signature?
A digital signature is always electronic, but an electronic signature is not always digital. A digital signature works with encryption technology using a cryptographic mechanism that provides additional security for the document and guarantees its integrity.
Is a signed scanned document legal?
As long as it's correctly done, courts have upheld that imaging and scanning are just as legally binding as paper documents.
What makes a notarized document invalid?
Missing or Incorrect Notary Seal
States like California and Texas have specific requirements for the placement and design of the seal. Without a proper seal, legal and financial institutions may reject the document.
How does a notary verify a signature?
Method 1: Identification cards
Some states, including California and Florida, provide specific lists of acceptable IDs. Others provide a list of required ID elements, allowing Notaries to accept any ID that contains the required elements.
What are the rules for electronic signatures?
The ETA does not require a specific method to make an electronic signature, as long as the method identifies the signer, and indicates their intention to approve whatever they have communicated. The method used must be connected to an electronic communication.
What makes a signature invalid?
Signing with different pens
It doesn't matter if everything else is perfect, different colours, or a fountain pen with ballpoint means the document is invalid. Both you and your witnesses must use the same pen throughout the entirety of the document – including when you are dating it.
Which documents cannot be signed electronically?
- Sales Agreements for land or buildings.
- Wills.
- Any document where another type of signature (i.e. non-electronic) has been agreed to.
- Any document where the law requires another type of signature.
- Long term lease agreements of 20 years and longer.
What are the alternatives to wet signatures?
Electronic signatures: a modern approach
These include digital signatures, click-to-sign, and other secure forms of authentication. Crucially, they have gained widespread legal recognition globally, making them a viable and often superior option to wet signatures.
What does it mean to scan a signature?
As its name suggests, a scanned signature is a digital image of a handwritten signature. It is obtained by scanning a paper document that has previously been signed by hand and converting it to digital format (doc, pdf, etc.).
Is it legal to require a wet signature?
There are a few occasions when you must collect a wet signature to make a document legally binding. Wet signatures are still required for certain documents pertaining to wills, trusts, adoptions, divorce proceedings, court orders, evictions and insurance benefits.
Do digital signatures hold up in court?
The simple answer is yes. Electronic signatures have all the same legal protections as handwritten signatures and are admissible in court as long as certain criteria are met. In the United States, judges have consistently ruled for eSignatures.
What states do not accept electronic signatures?
Whether through a federal act or a state-level act, electronic signatures are generally valid in all states. The rule has some exceptions, such as the signed document type.
Do banks accept electronic signatures?
A bank might accept eSignatures on loan documents that it holds independently, but require physical signatures in other lines of business that cross state lines or involve separate entities.
Can DocuSign act as a notary?
Docusign Notary enables Remote Online Notarization (RON) through an audio-visual session. Notaries must set up a notary profile and digital certificate. You usually do this from the email invite to join an organization as a notary.
How to tell if an electronic signature is valid?
Signature validity is determined by checking the authenticity of the signature's digital ID certificate status and document integrity. To verify authenticity, the validator checks if the signer's certificate or its parent certificates are trusted.
What does "s" mean in a letter?
One of the symbols to indicate an electronic signature is /s/, placed before the signer's name. For example, /s/ Jimmy Doe.