How do you create a digital signature?

Way 1: draw or paste your signature in a PDF

In Adobe Acrobat Reader you choose Fill & Sign, on a Mac you use Preview, and on a phone you sign with your finger. This places an image of your signature on the document.

It's quick and free, but it proves little. The image says nothing about who placed it, when, or whether the document was changed afterwards. Anyone with a copy of your signature can put it under another document.

Way 2: sign through a signing platform

With a signing platform you upload the document, place the signature fields in the right spot and send a link to the signer, who signs in the browser. The platform records who opened the link, how that person was verified and when they signed, and turns that into an audit certificate.

This is how it works in BuiltSign:

1. Upload the PDF.
2. Place the signature fields and any date or text fields.
3. Add the signers. Choose whether they also need an SMS code or an ID check with selfie.
4. Send. The signer gets a link and signs without an account.
5. When it's done, everyone receives the signed document with the audit certificate.

Way 3: sign with a personal certificate

With a qualified electronic signature (QES) you sign with a qualified certificate that a qualified trust service provider issued to you personally after a strict identity check, using a qualified signature creation device. Under eIDAS that signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten one. For ordinary contracts it's usually not needed.

Which way should you choose?

• Just signing one PDF yourself and sending it back? An image is often enough. If you want evidence, use QuickSign: free and without an account.
• Having someone else sign, such as a client or employee? Use a signing platform. Then you have evidence if there's a dispute later.
• A notarial deed? You sign that at the notary.

Is a digital signature legally valid?

As a rule, yes. Under the European eIDAS regulation an electronic signature may not be denied legal effect or admissibility as evidence solely because it's electronic. In the Netherlands it can have the same legal effect as a handwritten signature if the method used is sufficiently reliable given the purpose and circumstances (article 3:15a Dutch Civil Code). The difference is in the evidential weight: the better it's recorded who signed and what was signed, the stronger your position. Some legal acts have extra form requirements. Read more about legal validity or how to check a signing.

Frequently asked questions

What does a digital signature look like?

Often just like a signature or your typed name on the document. The difference from a picture is what's recorded around it: an audit certificate with a signing platform, or a cryptographic signature you can check in Adobe Acrobat with a certificate signature.

Can I create a digital signature in Word?

You can insert an image of your signature in Word. That's way 1: quick, but without evidence. Save the document as a PDF and sign through a platform if you want to be able to show who signed.

What does a digital signature cost?

An image in a PDF is free. Signing platforms usually charge per user per month. A qualified certificate costs money per signature or per year.

Does the signer need an account?

Not with BuiltSign. The signer gets a link by email or SMS and signs in the browser.

Read also

• How do you check whether a document was really signed digitally?
• How do you verify the identity of someone who signs online?
• Is a scanned signature legally valid?
• What is a wet signature, and when do you still need one?