E-signature Compliance and Legal Validity

DocuPotion's e-signature functionality meets international standards for electronic signatures, so the documents you send for signature from Attio are legally binding across jurisdictions.

United States

ESIGN Act

The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) is the federal law that gives electronic signatures the same legal status as handwritten signatures in the United States.

Key requirements:

• Parties must demonstrate intent to sign
• Consent to conduct business electronically
• Association of the signature with the record
• Record retention and reproducibility

How DocuPotion complies:

• Each signer receives a unique, secure signing link by email and actively completes their signature fields, demonstrating intent
• Opening the signing link and completing the fields constitutes electronic consent
• Every signature is embedded into the PDF, and the completed document is cryptographically sealed
• The signed document is filed to the Attio record it came from, and the full audit trail remains available in DocuPotion

UETA

The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) provides consistent rules for electronic transactions at state level and has been adopted by 49 US states.

Key requirements:

• Records must be attributable to a person
• Records must be capable of retention
• Parties must be able to obtain copies

How DocuPotion complies:

• Every signature is linked to the signer through their name, email address, IP address and timestamped signing events
• Signed documents are filed to the Attio record, with copies deliverable to Google Drive or email, so complete records are retained in systems you control
• The sealed, signed copy is available to the document owner on the Attio record

European Union

eIDAS

The eIDAS regulation (Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services) establishes the legal framework for electronic signatures across all EU member states. It defines three signature levels:

Simple electronic signatures are legally valid and admissible as evidence in every EU member state, and cover the vast majority of business documents: NDAs, quotes, proposals, service agreements and commercial contracts. AES and QES are only required for a small set of document types where EU or national law specifically demands them (for example certain consumer credit agreements and notarial documents).

How DocuPotion complies at the SES level:

• Signatures are captured digitally and embedded into the PDF
• Each signer accesses their own unique signing session through a secure link
• Every action in the signing flow is recorded with server timestamps in the audit trail
• The completed document is sealed so that any later modification can be detected

The audit trail

Every signature request keeps a tamper-evident audit trail recording:

• When the signing request was sent to each signer
• When each signer viewed the document
• When each signer signed
• Each signer's name, email address, IP address and browser information per event

The audit trail is kept with the document in DocuPotion, and a signing certificate and audit log are available for download. The sealed, signed copy of the document is filed to the Attio record.

Document integrity

• Sealed documents: once every signer has signed, the PDF is cryptographically sealed. Any later modification invalidates the seal, so tampering is detectable.
• Signing certificate: every completed request produces a downloadable certificate listing the signers and completion details, for audit reference.

Signature fields

Templates support four field types, placed with tags in your Google Doc or PDF:

• {{signature, r1}}  - a signature field for signer 1
• {{initials, r1}}  - an initials field
• {{date, r1}}  - a date field
• {{text, r1}}  - a free text field

The number after the comma assigns the field to a signer (r1 is signer 1, r2 is signer 2, and so on). Every signer must have at least one signature field.

Storage and retention

Signed documents are uploaded to the Attio record they were generated from, and copies can be delivered to a Google Drive folder or sent by email. DocuPotion does not keep its own copy of the document. The audit trail and signing certificate remain available in DocuPotion.

Data protection

DocuPotion processes only the signer data needed to fulfil the signing request: name, email address, signature, and the audit data described above. Signer data is never sold or shared with third parties for marketing. See our privacy policy for full details.

Frequently asked questions

Are DocuPotion e-signatures legally binding?

Yes. Signatures collected through DocuPotion comply with the ESIGN Act and UETA in the United States, and qualify as simple electronic signatures under the EU's eIDAS regulation. Every signature is backed by a full audit trail, and the completed document is sealed against tampering.

Which documents cannot be signed electronically?

Some document types are excluded from e-signature laws in most jurisdictions, such as wills and codicils, certain family law documents, court orders, and documents requiring notarisation. If you regularly work with these, take advice on the requirements in your jurisdiction.

Do I need Advanced or Qualified signatures (AES/QES)?

For almost all B2B documents, no. AES and QES are only mandated for specific document types under EU or national law. If a counterparty specifically requires QES, DocuPotion is not currently suitable for that document.

How do I verify a signed document's authenticity?

The sealed PDF, the audit trail and the signing certificate together provide the evidence: who signed, when, and from where, plus proof the document has not been modified since completion.

This article is provided for general information and is not legal advice. If you need certainty about the enforceability of a specific document type in a specific jurisdiction, consult a lawyer.