Validity of electronic signatures

The legal validity of electronic signatures generated by Odoo depends on your country’s legislation. Documents signed using the Sign app are considered legally valid in the European Union and the United States of America. They also meet the requirements for electronic signatures in most countries.

Companies doing business abroad should also consider other countries’ electronic signature laws.

Important

The below information has no legal value; it is only provided for general informational purposes. As laws governing electronic signatures rapidly evolve, we cannot guarantee that all information is up-to-date. We advise contacting a local attorney for legal advice regarding electronic signature compliance and validity.

European Union

The eIDAS regulation establishes the framework for electronic signatures in the 27 member states of the European Union. It distinguishes three types of electronic signatures:

  1. Simple electronic signatures

  2. Advanced electronic signatures

  3. Qualified electronic signatures

Odoo generates the first type, simple electronic signatures; these signatures are legally valid in the EU, as stated in the eIDAS regulation.

Electronic signatures may not be automatically recognized as valid. You may need to bring supporting evidence of a signature’s validity. While the Sign app provides a simple electronic signature, some supporting evidence is automatically collected during the signature process, such as:

  1. Email validation and SMS validation (if enabled)

  2. Strong identity proof through itsme® (if enabled)

  3. Timestamped, IP and geographically traceable access logs to the documents and their associated signatures

  4. Document traceability and inalterability (any alteration made to a signed document is detected by Odoo with the use of cryptographic proofs)

See also

Documentation for Germany

United States of America

The ESIGN Act (Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act), at the interstate and international levels, and the UETA (Uniform Electronic Transactions Act), at the state level, provide the legal framework for electronic signatures. Note that Illinois and New York have not adopted the UETA, but similar acts instead.

Overall, to be recognized as valid, electronic signatures have to meet five criteria:

  1. The signer must show a clear intent to sign. For example, using a mouse to draw a signature can show intent. The signer must also have the option to opt out of the electronic document.

  2. The signer must first express or imply their consent to conduct business electronically.

  3. The signature must be clearly attributed. In Odoo, metadata, such as the signer’s IP address, is added to the signature, which can be used as supporting evidence.

  4. The signature must be associated with the signed document, for example, by keeping a record detailing how the signature was captured.

  5. Electronically signed documents need to be retained and stored by all parties involved; for example, by providing the signer either a fully-executed copy or the possibility to download a copy.

Other countries