Are electronic signatures legal in Denmark?
Yes. Danish contract law generally lets parties agree in any form, and the EU's eIDAS Regulation applies directly, supplemented by Act no. 617 of 8 June 2016. Denmark is unusual in one respect: deeds and mortgages for real property must be registered digitally, signed through the land registration system with MitID.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 2 min read
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Denmark: at a glance
Country · DK- E-signature law
- Act no. 617 of 8 June 2016 supplementing the EU eIDAS Regulation
- Citation
- Lov nr. 617 af 8. juni 2016
- In effect since
- 2016
- Framework
- EU eIDAS, Regulation 910/2014 as amended by Regulation 2024/1183
- Doesn't cover
- Land registration only on digitally signed documents, filed through the land registry system (tinglysningsloven § 7(3))
- Formal acts whose own law prescribes a specific form keep it
eIDAS and Act 617 of 2016
Denmark repealed its own electronic signatures act (Act no. 417 of 31 May 2000) when Act no. 617 of 8 June 2016 took effect on 1 July 2016. The 2016 act supplements eIDAS: it covers trust service providers established in Denmark, makes the Agency for Digital Government (Digitaliseringsstyrelsen) the supervisor, and sets penalties for breaching the regulation's security and notification duties.
The legal effect of signatures comes from eIDAS itself. Article 25 says an electronic signature can't be denied legal effect or admissibility as evidence because it's electronic or not qualified, and a qualified electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten one in every EU member state.
Simple, advanced and qualified in Danish practice
- Simple: a typed or drawn name, or a click to accept. Common for quotes, orders and terms of business.
- Advanced: uniquely linked to and able to identify the signer, under their sole control, and tamper-evident.
- Qualified: an advanced signature made with a qualified device and certificate from a provider on the EU trusted lists.
Property: digital by law
Denmark's land registry is digital. Under section 7(3) of the Land Registration Act (tinglysningsloven), registration can take place only on the basis of documents carrying a digital signature; the minister may allow paper filings for people who can't get one (§ 7(5)). Since August 2022, private individuals can sign deeds (skøder), mortgages and other filings with MitID on tinglysning.dk, according to the Land Registration Court (Tinglysningsretten). So a property transfer is signed electronically, but through that system, not an ordinary e-signature platform.
Where SignMaster fits
SignMaster provides simple electronic signatures for the form-free agreements Danish businesses sign daily: quotes (tilbud), service agreements, purchase orders, freelance contracts and NDAs. It isn't connected to MitID, doesn't create qualified signatures and can't file anything with the land registry. Every signed PDF ends with a certificate of completion showing each signer's email, IP address and timestamps, with a SHA-256 fingerprint of the document.
Questions? Answers.
Is an electronic signature legally binding in Denmark?
Yes, for the many contracts that need no particular form. eIDAS article 25 bars refusing an electronic signature just for being electronic, and a qualified one equals a handwritten signature.
How are Danish property deeds signed?
Digitally, through the land registration system. Registration can take place only on digitally signed documents (tinglysningsloven § 7(3)), and private individuals sign with MitID on tinglysning.dk.
Do I need MitID to sign a contract in Denmark?
Not for an ordinary contract. MitID matters for filings in the land registry, while a business agreement can use any electronic signature the parties accept.
Sources
- Lov nr. 617 af 8. juni 2016 om supplerende bestemmelser til forordning om elektronisk identifikation og tillidstjenester (Retsinformation) · retsinformation.dk
- Bekendtgørelse af lov om tinglysning (LBK nr. 285 af 2026), § 7 (Retsinformation) · retsinformation.dk
- Tinglysningsretten: filings on tinglysning.dk can be signed with private MitID (August 2022) · domstol.dk
- Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS), EUR-Lex · eur-lex.europa.eu
General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and how they apply depends on your situation. For advice about a specific document, talk to a lawyer licensed where you are.