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Country guides

E-signatures by country

Plain-English guides to how eight countries treat an electronic signature on everyday business documents: the law that applies, the documents it leaves out, and where PQC Imza fits. Each guide links to the official texts it rests on.

  1. India

    Information Technology Act 2000: section 5 recognises the Second Schedule signatures (Aadhaar eSign and certificate-based); section 10A covers contracts made electronically. Wills, trusts and most powers of attorney are excluded.

  2. Kenya

    Kenya Information and Communications Act, Part VIA, as amended by the Business Laws (Amendment) Act 2020. A legal signature requirement calls for an advanced electronic signature. Wills and negotiable instruments are excluded.

  3. Malaysia

    Electronic Commerce Act 2006, section 9, with the Digital Signature Act 1997 for licensed digital signatures. Powers of attorney, wills, trusts and negotiable instruments are excluded.

  4. Nigeria

    Evidence Act 2011, section 93 (as amended in 2023), and section 17 of the Cybercrimes Act 2015. Wills, birth and death certificates, family law matters and court documents are among the exclusions.

  5. Pakistan

    Electronic Transactions Ordinance 2002, section 7, with a presumption for advanced electronic signatures. Negotiable instruments, powers of attorney, trusts, wills and contracts for immovable property are excluded.

  6. Philippines

    Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 (RA 8792), sections 8 and 9, and the Rules on Electronic Evidence. No exclusion list, but documents that must be public or notarised still need that step.

  7. Singapore

    Electronic Transactions Act 2010, section 8, with stronger presumptions for secure electronic signatures. Wills, most trusts and powers of attorney, and land contracts and conveyances are excluded.

  8. United Arab Emirates

    Federal Decree-Law No. 46 of 2021 on Electronic Transactions and Trust Services: electronic, reliable and qualified signatures. Only a qualified signature equals a handwritten one. The DIFC and ADGM have their own rules.

These guides are general information, not legal advice. 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 the country concerned.