Thomas Moretti, axelity ag
Co-founder and Managing Director of axelity ag | Product strategist of the Swiss signing solution actaSIGN®
Sign Documents Online: How to Do It with Legal Effect
Print, sign, scan, send back — this detour costs time with every contract and does not exactly signal digital maturity to the other party. Yet documents can be signed entirely online: legally valid, traceable and within minutes. This article shows what applies legally, which signature level you need and how signing online works in practice.
What does "signing online" mean?
Signing a document online means replacing the signature on paper with an electronic signature. "Signing" and "e-signing" mean the same thing — just as "digital signature" and "electronic signature" are used synonymously in everyday language. What matters legally is not the word but the signature level: ZertES (Switzerland) and eIDAS (EU) define three levels with different evidential value — SES, AES and QES.
Is an online signature legally valid?
Yes — in all DACH markets:
- Switzerland: ZertES has governed electronic signatures since 2003. QES is equivalent to a handwritten signature (CO Art. 14 para. 2bis). Since most contracts are form-free, SES or AES is often sufficient for everyday business. Details: Electronic signature Switzerland.
- Germany: The eIDAS regulation applies directly; where the law requires written form, QES replaces it under BGB §126a. Details: Electronic signature Germany.
- Austria: eIDAS applies here too, complemented by the Signature and Trust Services Act (SVG). Details: Electronic signature Austria.
How to sign a document online
With a signature platform like actaSIGN, the entire process takes a few minutes — entirely in the browser, without installation:
- Upload the document: Upload your document as a PDF and place the signature fields. More on this: Sign PDF.
- Invite signers: Internal and external signers receive an email invitation — external signers need neither an account nor registration.
- Sign online: Each person signs at the chosen signature level. The signed document is automatically archived in an audit-proof way, including an audit trail.
Which documents can you sign online?
Practically all documents of everyday business:
- Offers, orders, order confirmations
- Contracts of all kinds: NDAs, supply, framework and service agreements
- HR documents: employment contracts, amendments, target agreements
- Minutes, approvals, powers of attorney
Exceptions: Transactions with stricter formal requirements remain in the paper world — such as surety declarations (handwritten signature, CO Art. 493), real estate purchase agreements (notarisation, CO Art. 216) or holographic wills (CC Art. 505). In Germany, the law occasionally excludes the electronic form entirely, for example for the termination of employment relationships (BGB §623).
Choosing the right signature level
The rule of thumb for everyday use:
| Document | Recommended level |
|---|---|
| Internal approvals, minutes | SES |
| Contracts, offers, HR documents (form-free) | AES |
| Documents with statutory written form | QES |
The article on the difference between SES, AES and QES offers detailed decision support — and our post on the qualified electronic signature explains when the highest level is really necessary.
Why a scanned signature is not the answer
A common shortcut: scanning your signature and pasting it into the PDF as an image. It looks like a signature but accomplishes almost nothing — the image does not identify the signer, can be copied at will and does not protect the document against subsequent changes. In a dispute, its evidential value is minimal. An electronic signature under ZertES or eIDAS, by contrast, ensures both: the identity of the signer and the integrity of the document since signing.
Signing online with actaSIGN
actaSIGN is the Swiss all-inclusive platform for digital and electronic signatures: all three signature levels, unlimited signers, data exclusively in Switzerland — and completely registration-free for external signers. Our post on the true cost of a paper contract calculates what switching away from paper processes saves.