# What is a reliable electronic signature?

> A reliable electronic signature meets the four conditions of Article 13 of China's Electronic Signature Law and has the same legal force as a handwritten signature or seal. Documents on personal relations such as marriage, adoption and inheritance fall outside the law's electronic-document rules.

- URL: https://www.mvpdata.net/en/glossary/reliable-electronic-signature
- Updated: 2026-09-30
- Also known as: Electronic signature, E-signature, 可靠电子签名
- 简体中文: https://www.mvpdata.net/glossary/reliable-electronic-signature

In China, the parties to a contract or similar document may agree to sign it electronically, and a document they agreed to sign that way may not be denied legal effect merely because it uses an electronic signature.[^1] The Chinese term is 可靠电子签名 (kěkào diànzǐ qiānmíng).

## What makes an electronic signature "reliable"?

Article 13 of China's Electronic Signature Law sets four conditions, all of which must be met:[^1]

1. the data used to create the signature belongs exclusively to the signatory;
2. at the time of signing, that data is under the signatory's sole control;
3. any change to the signature after signing can be detected;
4. any change to the content or form of the document after signing can be detected.

Under Article 14, a reliable electronic signature has the same legal force as a handwritten signature or seal.[^1]

## Which documents cannot be signed electronically?

Article 3 lists the exceptions: documents on personal relations such as marriage, adoption and inheritance; documents stopping public utility services such as water, heating and gas; and other cases where laws or administrative regulations exclude electronic documents.[^1]

## What do the US and Canada require?

In the United States, the federal ESIGN Act provides that, in interstate or foreign commerce, a signature, contract or other record may not be denied legal effect solely because it is in electronic form.[^2] In Canada, electronic signatures are governed by federal and provincial laws: Part 2 of the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act deals with cases where federal laws contemplate the use of paper;[^3] Ontario's Electronic Commerce Act, 2000 provides that a legal requirement that a document be signed is satisfied by an electronic signature, and does not apply to wills, powers of attorney for financial affairs or personal care, negotiable instruments and certain other documents.[^4]

## Further reading

- When the non-disclosure agreement is signed and whom it binds: [Confidentiality](https://www.mvpdata.net/en/confidentiality)

## Related terms

- [What is electronic evidence preservation?](https://www.mvpdata.net/en/glossary/electronic-evidence): Electronic evidence preservation fixes digital material, by blockchain, trusted timestamp or notarization, to show that it existed at a given moment and has not changed since. It proves nothing about the time before it was fixed, so material is fixed as soon as it appears.
- [What is a talent management agreement?](https://www.mvpdata.net/en/glossary/management-contract): A talent management agreement is a contract under which a manager or agency represents an artist, creator or streamer for a share of their income. It is not an employment contract, although courts look at actual control, not the label.

[^1]: 《中华人民共和国电子签名法》 (Electronic Signature Law of the People's Republic of China), Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. Published 2019-04-23. http://www.npc.gov.cn/npc/c2/c30834/201906/t20190608_298038.html (Checked 2026-09-30)
[^2]: 15 U.S.C. § 7001. General rule of validity, United States Congress, 15 U.S.C. § 7001 (ESIGN). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title15/html/USCODE-2023-title15-chap96-subchapI-sec7001.htm (Checked 2026-09-30)
[^3]: Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, Part 2: Electronic Documents, Government of Canada, Justice Laws Website, S.C. 2000, c. 5, Part 2. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/P-8.6/page-5.html (Checked 2026-09-30)
[^4]: Electronic Commerce Act, 2000, S.O. 2000, c. 17, Government of Ontario, S.O. 2000, c. 17. https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/00e17 (Checked 2026-09-30)