Are electronic signatures legal in Finland?

eIDAS and Act 617/2009

Finland's national rules on electronic identification and trust services sit in Act 617/2009, which covers strong electronic identification (the bank and mobile credentials Finns use to log in to public services) and supplements eIDAS for trust service providers. The legal effect of a signature itself comes from eIDAS article 25: an electronic signature can't be refused legal effect or admissibility because it's electronic or not qualified, and a qualified one has the same effect as a handwritten signature.

In practice, a Finnish business can sign quotes, orders, service agreements and most employment paperwork with any electronic signature the parties accept. The record of who signed and when is what proves the agreement if it's challenged.

Real estate sales: two routes

Chapter 2, section 1 of the Maakaari (Land Code) sets a mandatory form for selling real property. According to the National Land Survey (Maanmittauslaitos), the transfer must be in writing, signed by the parties or their agents, and confirmed by a public purchase witness (kaupanvahvistaja) with all signatories present at once. Without the witness's statement the transfer is invalid.

The second route is fully electronic. A property sale can also be made in the National Land Survey's Kiinteistövaihdannan palvelu (real estate trading service), and then no purchase witness is needed. The signatures are given inside that service, so an e-signature made elsewhere doesn't substitute for it. The Survey's guide adds that a buyer's power of attorney for the purchase may be signed electronically.

Signature levels in brief

• Simple: a typed name, a click or a drawn signature; fine for most business contracts.
• Advanced: tied uniquely to the signer, under their sole control, and showing later changes.
• Qualified: made with a qualified certificate and device; legally equal to handwriting across the EU.

Where SignMaster fits

SignMaster provides simple electronic signatures for Finnish business paperwork: quotes (tarjoukset), service agreements, subcontracting terms and NDAs. It doesn't use strong electronic identification, doesn't create qualified signatures and can't replace the real estate trading service or a purchase witness. The signed PDF includes a certificate of completion with every signer's email, IP address and timestamps, and a SHA-256 fingerprint of the document.