E-signature facts
What the law covers, and what it doesn't.
How signing works in ChatFill, what gets recorded, and which papers still need ink or a notary.
Is an e-signature legal?
Under the U.S. ESIGN Act and state electronic-transaction laws, a signature or contract generally cannot be refused just because it is electronic. Every ChatFill signature starts with a consent step, and ChatFill keeps a record of each one.
ChatFill is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. If a document is important, check with the person receiving it or with a lawyer.
What ChatFill records
Every signature starts with a consent step. Then ChatFill keeps a record.
- Before anyone signs, they agree to sign electronically.
- ChatFill records the signer's name, email address, IP address and device, and when they agreed and signed.
- It records a digital fingerprint of the document before and after signing.
- For a signature request, the sender gets a Certificate of Completion with all of this, plus the history of the request.
- That record helps show who signed, when, and that the document did not change afterward.
Papers e-signatures don't cover
U.S. law leaves some documents out. Don't use e-signatures for these:
- Wills, codicils and trusts that pass on property at death.
- Adoption, divorce and other family-law matters.
- Court orders, court notices and court filings.
- Notices that utility service will be shut off.
- Notices of default, foreclosure or eviction for a primary home.
- Notices that health or life insurance is being cancelled.
- Product recall notices.
- Papers that must travel with hazardous materials.
- Documents that must be notarized or witnessed still need that step.
Some other laws, such as parts of the Uniform Commercial Code, set their own rules. When in doubt, ask the person receiving the document or a lawyer.
What ChatFill signing doesn't include yet
- Everyone gets a signing request at the same time. You can't set a signing order yet.
- Signers are checked by their email link only. There are no ID checks.
- ChatFill does not add a digital seal inside the PDF. The fingerprints are in the certificate.
- Documents you sign yourself don't get a Certificate of Completion.
The e-sign disclosure
Our e-sign disclosure explains what a signer agrees to, how to get a paper copy, how to withdraw consent, and what device they need. If you send documents to consumers, you are responsible for any notice or consent the law requires you to give them.
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