Electronic signatures have quickly become a cornerstone of commerce through the combination of convenience and digital reliance. But with convenience comes responsibility, and how do you verify that an e-signature is genuine, secure and legally binding?
Whether you're a legal professional, regulated business or simply onboarding customers, understanding how to verify an electronic signature is critical to ensuring trust, compliance, and enforceability.
Electronic signatures are legally recognised forms of agreement, governed by laws such as the eIDAS regulation in the EU and UK, and the Electronic Communications Act. However, not every e-signature is the same. For an e-signature to stand up in court or regulatory scrutiny, it must be verified through secure, evidence-based methods.
This is where electronic signature verification comes in to ensure that the person signing is who they say they are, the document hasn’t been tampered with after signing and the signature was given willingly and with informed consent. In regulated sectors like financial services and property, this is critical.
Verifying an electronic signature requires a structured process that ensures the signatory’s identity and the integrity of the document. Let’s break down the key steps to help you verify e-signatures with confidence.
Identity verification is the foundation of a verified signature. Look for solutions that require robust checks such as biometric verification (e.g. facial recognition against ID documents) and two-factor authentication (2FA), like an OTP (One-Time Password) sent to the signatory’s mobile. This ensures the signatory is authenticated before they even access the document.
Electronic signatures must be tamper-evident. This means any changes to the document after signing should invalidate the signature. You can verify document integrity by checking digital certificates or hash values and using platforms that seal the document once signed. Additionally, requesting an audit trail or metadata file that records every action taken (e.g. time, IP address, authentication method) is another way of ensuring integrity.
The most efficient way to verify an e-signature is through a qualified e-signature platform that handles identity verification, consent, signing and evidence capture in one process.
These platforms go further by integrating identity verification into the signing journey, recording each step in a legally defensible audit trail and ensuring compliance with regulatory guidance like the HM Land Registry's PG82.
A complete audit trail is your best proof point. It directly supports legal enforceability but also gives your compliance team peace of mind. This trail should include a few key areas.
Some documents, such as deeds submitted to HM Land Registry, require physical witnessing even with electronic signatures. To verify this you need to confirm the presence of the witness, record their identity (via OTP or ID check) and include their role in the audit trail. An end-to-end platform enables OTP-authenticated witnessing, simplifying PG82 compliance while maintaining legal validity.
Electronic signatures have quickly become almost necessary for modern legal and financial transactions, but not all solutions are created equal. To protect your organisation and ensure documents stand up to scrutiny, it’s crucial to understand which technologies make verification truly robust. An end-to-end onboarding platform combines multiple layers of protection to strengthen trust and compliance.
Robust technology is essential, but poor practice can still leave you exposed. Avoid relying on basic e-signatures that use only email links and lack proper identity checks as these are easy to fake and hard to defend legally. Similarly, using separate tools for identity checks, signing and compliance creates gaps that increase risk.
For secure, compliant electronic signatures, choose an integrated platform like Bonafidee. By handling identity verification, secure signing, audit trails and compliance evidence all in one place, Bonafidee helps you prove authenticity and protect your organisation from disputes.
E-signature verification is a safeguard that underpins trust, legal enforceability and compliance in today’s digital world. From confirming a signatory’s identity and checking document integrity to ensuring the presence of witnesses where required, each layer of verification strengthens your protection against fraud and disputes.
By following a structured verification process and using robust technology, you can ensure every signature holds up to legal and regulatory scrutiny. For a deeper look at how to put these principles into practice and streamline your verification journey, explore our detailed guide below.