Are Electronic Signatures Legal?
Yes — electronic signatures are legally valid for most commercial documents in India under the Information Technology Act 2000 (Amendment 2008), in the US under ESIGN and UETA, in the EU under eIDAS, and in most other countries. For government filings, court documents, and certain financial instruments, a Class 2 or Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) from a licensed Certifying Authority may be required. For business contracts, employment agreements, vendor agreements, and most everyday documents, a drawn or typed signature is legally binding.
Three Ways to Sign a PDF
Draw your signature — Use the drawing pad to sign with your mouse or finger (on touchscreen). This creates a natural-looking handwritten signature. Type your signature — Type your name and choose from multiple handwriting-style fonts. Quick and consistent across all documents. Upload an image — Upload a scanned image of your actual handwritten signature (PNG with transparent background works best). This is the most authentic-looking option.
How to Sign a PDF on PDFMerger.in
Open the Sign PDF tool. Upload the PDF you need to sign. Click "Add Signature" and choose your method — draw, type, or upload. Drag the signature to the correct position on the document (typically the signature line). Resize it if needed. Click "Apply Signature" and download the signed PDF.
Signing Multiple Pages
If the document requires signatures on multiple pages (e.g., initials on every page of a contract), add your signature once, position it, then duplicate it to other pages using the "Add to all pages" option or by adding additional signature elements for different pages.
After Signing
Once signed, consider password-protecting the PDF to prevent unauthorized modifications. For formal business contracts, both parties should ideally sign the same PDF to create a complete, jointly-signed document. Use our Merge PDF tool to combine signature pages if they are separate.