Glossary
What is a wet signature?
Short answer
A wet signature is a traditional pen-and-ink signature on paper, named for the ink that was once wet. Most contracts no longer need one, because laws such as the US ESIGN Act, UETA, eIDAS and the UK Electronic Communications Act 2000 give electronic signatures legal effect. Wet signatures are still required for some documents, such as wills in many countries and deeds that need a witness or notary present.
Updated 25 October 2026
- Wet signature
- A wet signature is a signature made by hand in ink on a physical document. The term distinguishes it from electronic signatures, including scanned or drawn images of a handwritten signature.
When a wet signature is still required
Rules vary by country, but the usual exceptions are:
- Wills and codicils, excluded from the ESIGN Act by 15 U.S.C. 7003 and from UETA by section 3
- Some property deeds and land registry filings
- Documents that must be notarised in person, where remote notarisation is not allowed
- Some court filings and government forms
- Some family law documents such as adoption papers
Wet signature versus scanned signature
Printing a document, signing it in ink and scanning it back creates a wet-signed original and an electronic copy. Whether the scan is enough depends on whether the other side or the receiving body accepts copies.
Pasting an image of your handwritten signature into a PDF is not a wet signature. It is a simple electronic signature, and weak evidence on its own because anyone with the image can paste it.
Why electronic signatures have replaced most wet signatures
Speed is the obvious reason: no printing, posting or scanning. Evidence is the less obvious one. A wet signature on a scanned page says little about who signed or when. An e-signature with an audit trail records the email it went to, the code confirmed, the device and the exact time, and a sealed PDF shows whether anything changed afterwards.
Sign PDF and wet signatures
Sign PDF is for documents that can be signed electronically, which covers most contracts, NDAs, offer letters, tenancy agreements and consent forms. If your document needs ink, a witness in the room or a notary, sign it on paper. You can still upload a photo or scan of a printed page to Sign PDF if other parties need to sign it electronically, but that does not turn their signatures into wet ones. This is not legal advice.
Questions people ask
Is a drawn signature on a tablet a wet signature?
No. Any signature made on a screen is electronic, even if it looks handwritten.
Can I refuse to accept an electronic signature and insist on a wet one?
Usually, yes. UETA section 5 makes electronic transactions voluntary, and parties can agree to require ink. Many laws protect electronic signatures from being denied effect, but they do not force anyone to use them.
Do banks still need wet signatures?
For some documents, such as certain loan or account forms, a bank may require ink by its own policy. Ask the bank before sending an e-signed version.
Is a wet signature more secure than an electronic one?
Not necessarily. Handwriting can be forged and a scan proves little. A well-evidenced e-signature can be easier to defend.
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