Are electronic signatures legal in the Philippines?

Republic Act No. 8792

The Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 gives electronic documents the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as any other document (s. 7). Where a law requires writing, an electronic document meets it if it keeps its integrity and reliability and can be authenticated for later reference. Section 37 asks courts to read the Act with regard to its international origin.

The four-part test for signatures

Section 8 makes an electronic signature equivalent to a person's signature on a written document if it's proved that a prescribed procedure, one the interested parties couldn't alter, existed under which:

1. a method identifies the party to be bound and shows their access to the document needed for their consent or approval;
2. the method is reliable and appropriate for the document's purpose, in light of all the circumstances and any agreement;
3. the party had to provide the electronic signature in order to proceed with the transaction;
4. the other party is authorized and able to verify the signature and decide whether to proceed.

Once a signature is in, section 9 presumes it's the signature of the person it correlates to and was affixed with the intention of signing, unless the relying party knew of defects or its reliance wasn't reasonable.

What the Act doesn't change

RA 8792 has no schedule of excluded documents. Instead, a proviso in section 7 says no provision of the Act varies the requirements of existing laws on the formalities needed to execute a document validly. If a document must be notarized, or a will must follow the Civil Code's formal rules, the Act doesn't waive that.

Electronic notarization

The Supreme Court's Rules on Electronic Notarization (A.M. No. 24-10-14-SC) took effect in March 2025. They allow in-person electronic, remote (videoconference) and mixed notarization through accredited facilities, for documents in PDF form. Notarial wills, depositions and paper documents signed by hand stay under the 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice. Applications to be commissioned as an Electronic Notary Public opened on August 10, 2026. SignMaster doesn't notarize documents.

Where SignMaster fits in the Philippines

SignMaster provides electronic signatures with an audit trail, built around the steps section 8 cares about. Each signer is identified by the email link (with an optional access code), must agree to sign electronically and adopt their signature before the envelope can move on, and gets the finished PDF. That PDF ends with a certificate of completion listing every signer's email, IP address and timestamps, with a SHA-256 fingerprint so any change shows. It suits service contracts, quotes, employment offers and NDAs that need no notary.