What does an electronic signature actually look like? And can you add a handwritten signature to a document, too? These two questions frequently crop up in the context of electronic signatures. We’ll answer both in this article. Plus, you’ll learn why the look and feel of a signature is important for users – but is merely secondary in terms of its validity. 

Let’s get one thing out of the way: the visual appearance of an electronic signature is of secondary importance. First and foremost, the technical requirements for an electronic signature need to be met. Let’s explore this a little.  

Strictly speaking, an electronic signature is a purely technical process. For qualified electronic signatures, this process encompasses various elements. One is that the signatory needs to be clearly identifiable, or in other words, the signature has to be incontrovertibly attributable to a particular person. As a result, the signer’s identity also needs to be verified before they undertake their first signature. The electronic signature ensures that subsequent changes to the document can be identified as well, thus ensuring the integrity of the document. In the case of qualified electronic signatures, it is also mandatory in Switzerland to record the time of signature, as well as the signature itself. Plus, only official providers of trust services, such as SwissSign, can offer qualified electronic signatures that are valid in Switzerland. Specifically, they need to comply with the strict requirements of the Swiss Federal Act on Electronic Signatures (ESigA).