Are electronic signatures legal in Pakistan?

Yes. Section 7 of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance 2002 deems a legal requirement for signatures satisfied by electronic or advanced electronic signatures. The Ordinance does not apply to negotiable instruments, powers of attorney, trusts, wills, or contracts for the sale or conveyance of immovable property.

Does an electronic document need a witness in Pakistan?

Section 3 of the Ordinance says a document is not denied legal recognition or validity on the ground that it is electronic and has not been attested by a witness. Other laws that require attestation for a particular document may still apply to it.

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 Pakistan

Electronic signatures in Pakistan

Pakistan has recognised electronic signatures since 2002. Here is what the Electronic Transactions Ordinance says, which documents it leaves out, and how a small firm or a freelancer can get a document signed for one fee, without a monthly plan.

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Law last checked on October 25, 2026

What the law says

Under section 7 of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance 2002, a requirement under any law for signatures is deemed satisfied where electronic signatures or advanced electronic signatures are applied. Section 3 adds that no document is denied legal recognition, admissibility, effect, validity, proof or enforceability on the ground that it is in electronic form and has not been attested by a witness, and section 8 says an electronic signature may be proved in any manner.

The Ordinance defines an electronic signature as letters, numbers, symbols, images, characters or any combination of them in electronic form, applied to, incorporated in or associated with an electronic document with the intention of authenticating or approving it.

An advanced electronic signature is either one that is unique to the signer, capable of identifying them, created in a manner or with a means under their sole control, and attached to the document so that any later change is detectable; or one provided by a certification service provider accredited by the Electronic Certification Accreditation Council. For an advanced electronic signature, section 9 presumes, unless there is evidence to the contrary, that it is the signature of the person it correlates to, that it was affixed with the intention of signing, and that the document has not been altered.

The laws that apply

Electronic Transactions Ordinance 2002 (LI of 2002): sections 3 and 7 (legal recognition and signatures), 8 (proof), 9 (presumptions for advanced electronic signatures), 18 and 24 (the Electronic Certification Accreditation Council), 31 (exclusions).
Registration Act 1908 and Transfer of Property Act 1882: leases that must be made by a registered instrument.

Where an electronic signature is not enough

Under section 31(1), the Ordinance does not apply to:

Negotiable instruments, as defined in section 13 of the Negotiable Instruments Act 1881
Powers of attorney
Trusts, except constructive, implied and resulting trusts
Wills and any other form of testamentary disposition
Contracts for the sale or conveyance of immovable property, or of any interest in such property

The Federal Government may extend the Ordinance to these documents by notification in the Gazette (section 31(2)).

Under the Transfer of Property Act, a lease is a transfer of a right to enjoy immovable property (section 105), so a lease may fall within the last exclusion. A lease from year to year, for more than a year, or reserving a yearly rent can be made only by a registered instrument (section 107, and section 17 of the Registration Act).

What PQC Imza is, and what it is not

In Pakistan, a PQC Imza signature is an electronic signature under the Ordinance: it is applied to the document with the intention of approving it, and the signer is identified from the chip in their passport or ID card. It is designed with the properties the first kind of advanced electronic signature describes, a key unique to the signer and under their control on their phone and a signature that fails if the document changes, but whether a given signature qualifies is for a court to decide. It is not provided by a certification service provider accredited by the Electronic Certification Accreditation Council.

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

Freelance and service contracts

Agree the scope, fees and deadlines with a client in Pakistan or abroad 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.

Tenancy agreements

Check first: the Ordinance excludes contracts over interests in immovable property, which may include a lease, and a lease for more than a year must be registered.

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 Pakistan?: Yes. Section 7 of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance 2002 deems a legal requirement for signatures satisfied by electronic or advanced electronic signatures. The Ordinance does not apply to negotiable instruments, powers of attorney, trusts, wills, or contracts for the sale or conveyance of immovable property.
Does an electronic document need a witness in Pakistan?: Section 3 of the Ordinance says a document is not denied legal recognition or validity on the ground that it is electronic and has not been attested by a witness. Other laws that require attestation for a particular document may still apply to it.
Is PQC Imza accredited by the Electronic Certification Accreditation Council?: No. PQC Imza is an electronic signature with post-quantum cryptography and identity verification, not a service of an accredited certification service provider. Where a document or the other party requires an accredited signature, use one.
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 Pakistan.