Are electronic signatures legal in Malaysia?

Yes, in commercial transactions, with exceptions. Section 9 of the Electronic Commerce Act 2006 lets an electronic signature meet a legal requirement for a signature if it identifies the signer, shows their approval and is as reliable as the purpose calls for. The Act does not apply to powers of attorney, wills and codicils, trusts or negotiable instruments.

Is PQC Imza a digital signature under the Digital Signature Act 1997?

No. That Act covers signatures verified against a certificate from a certification authority licensed by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. PQC Imza is an electronic signature under the Electronic Commerce Act 2006. If a document or the other party calls for a licensed digital signature, use one.

Does a tenancy agreement signed electronically still need stamping?

Yes, where stamp duty applies. LHDN treats electronic instruments the same as written ones, and they are stamped within 30 days of signing.

How much does it cost to get a document signed?

PQC Imza charges $2.50 for each document you send, paid by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and credit packs bring the price per document down. No subscription is needed, and signing is free for the people who sign.

What do the people signing need?

A phone with PQC Wallet, the free app for iPhone and Android. To verify their identity they hold a passport or ID card with a chip to the phone once, and each signature records how its signer was verified. Signing costs them nothing.

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E-signatures in Malaysia

Electronic signatures in Malaysia

Malaysian law accepts electronic signatures in commercial transactions, with a short list of exceptions. Here is what the law says, which documents it leaves out, and how a small firm or a freelancer can get a contract signed for one fee per document, without a monthly plan.

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Law last checked on October 25, 2026

What the law says

The Electronic Commerce Act 2006 (Act 658) applies to commercial transactions conducted through electronic means. Under section 9(1), where a law requires a person's signature on a document, an electronic signature meets that requirement if it is attached to or logically associated with the electronic message, adequately identifies the person and indicates their approval of the information it relates to, and is as reliable as is appropriate for the purpose and the circumstances.

Section 9(2) says when a signature is reliable enough: the means of creating it is linked to and under the control of the signer only, and any change to the signature or to the document after signing is detectable.

Nobody can be made to deal electronically. Under section 3, a person has to consent to using electronic messages, and that consent can be inferred from their conduct.

The Digital Signature Act 1997 (Act 562) is a separate, stricter scheme. A digital signature under it is verified against a certificate from a certification authority licensed by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, and section 62 makes a document signed that way as legally binding as one signed by hand. The 2006 Act keeps that scheme in place for digital signatures (section 9(3)).

In September 2026 the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living said it had approved a policy decision to repeal the 2006 Act and replace it with a new e-commerce law. Until a new law is passed and in force, the rules above apply.

The laws that apply

Electronic Commerce Act 2006 (Act 658): section 9 (an electronic signature meets a legal requirement for a signature), section 3 (consent), section 2 and the Schedule (what the Act does not apply to).
Digital Signature Act 1997 (Act 562): digital signatures backed by a certificate from a licensed certification authority; section 62 on their legal effect.

Where an electronic signature is not enough

Under section 2(2), the Electronic Commerce Act 2006 does not apply to the documents in its Schedule:

Powers of attorney
The creation of wills and codicils
The creation of trusts
Negotiable instruments

Signing electronically does not remove other formalities. Stamp duty applies as it would on paper: the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) treats electronic instruments the same as written ones, to be stamped within 30 days of signing. A lease of land for more than three years is registered under the National Land Code, which an electronic signature does not replace.

What PQC Imza is, and what it is not

In Malaysia, a PQC Imza signature is an electronic signature in the sense of the Electronic Commerce Act 2006. It is built around what section 9(2) describes: the signing key is held on the signer's phone, which asks for their fingerprint, face or passcode before each signature, and any change to the document or the signature after signing is detectable. Whether a signature is reliable enough for a particular document is for the parties and, in a dispute, the court to judge.

It is not a digital signature under the Digital Signature Act 1997: no certificate from a licensed certification authority stands behind it. Phones cannot read the chip in a MyKad, so Malaysian signers verify their identity with their passport.

PQC Imza is an electronic signature service. Each signature is made on the signer's phone with ML-DSA, the post-quantum signature standard NIST published in 2024 (FIPS 204), and is bound to the exact file that was signed. Signers verify their identity in the app by reading the chip in their passport or ID card, and every signature records how its signer was identified.

It is not a qualified, certified or government-accredited digital signature, and PQC Imza is not a licensed or accredited certification authority in any country. Where a law asks for that kind of signature, or for a handwritten signature, a notary or registration, use what the law asks for.

What small firms and freelancers sign with it

Tenancy agreements

A landlord and a tenant can sign the agreement from different cities, each on their own phone. Stamp it with LHDN as you would a paper one.

Freelance and service contracts

Agree the scope, fees and deadlines with a client and have both signatures the same day, without printing or scanning.

Non-disclosure agreements

Send an NDA before the first meeting. The other side reads it on their phone and signs there.

Offer letters

Send an offer letter to a new hire and keep a signed PDF that shows who signed it and when.

Purchase orders

Have a supplier countersign a purchase order or a quotation, so both sides hold the same signed copy.

How signing works

You prepare the document on the web. The people who sign do it on their phones, free.

01
Upload the document

Sign in at pqc-imza.com with Google or Apple and upload a PDF, or build one from a template.
02
Pay for that document

Pay once for the document by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, or use a credit from a pack.
03
Name who signs

Add each signatory by name and email address, in the order they should sign. People in the room can scan a signing code instead.
04
They sign on their phone

Each signatory installs PQC Wallet, the free app for iPhone and Android, verifies their identity once with the chip in their passport or ID card, and signs.
05
Keep the signed PDF

When everyone has signed, download the signed PDF. Every page names who signed, a QR code lets anyone check it later, and a record of it is written to the SciChain blockchain.

What it costs

You pay for each document you send. No subscription is needed, and signing is free for the people who sign.

One document

$2.50 per document

Paid when you send it.

Credit packs

10 documents for $12
25 documents for $26
50 documents for $45

Purchased credits never expire.

Monthly plans, if you send often

Starter: $9 a month for 10 documents
Pro: $29 a month for 40 documents
Business: $99 a month for 200 documents

Prices are in USD. The seller is ZincirX Inc., and you pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through Stripe. All prices

Questions

Are electronic signatures legal in Malaysia?: Yes, in commercial transactions, with exceptions. Section 9 of the Electronic Commerce Act 2006 lets an electronic signature meet a legal requirement for a signature if it identifies the signer, shows their approval and is as reliable as the purpose calls for. The Act does not apply to powers of attorney, wills and codicils, trusts or negotiable instruments.
Is PQC Imza a digital signature under the Digital Signature Act 1997?: No. That Act covers signatures verified against a certificate from a certification authority licensed by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. PQC Imza is an electronic signature under the Electronic Commerce Act 2006. If a document or the other party calls for a licensed digital signature, use one.
Does a tenancy agreement signed electronically still need stamping?: Yes, where stamp duty applies. LHDN treats electronic instruments the same as written ones, and they are stamped within 30 days of signing.
How much does it cost to get a document signed?: PQC Imza charges $2.50 for each document you send, paid by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and credit packs bring the price per document down. No subscription is needed, and signing is free for the people who sign.
What do the people signing need?: A phone with PQC Wallet, the free app for iPhone and Android. To verify their identity they hold a passport or ID card with a chip to the phone once, and each signature records how its signer was verified. Signing costs them nothing.

Sources

The texts this page relies on. Where they differ from this summary, they prevail.

This page is general information, not legal advice. It describes the law as we read it on the date above; laws change, and whether an electronic signature suits a particular document depends on the document and the circumstances. For a document with legal formalities, ask a lawyer qualified in Malaysia.