How to Verify US ESIGN & UETA PDF Signatures

Upload your digitally signed PDF to pdfsigncheck.com. We parse the embedded CMS/PKCS#7 signature block, recalculate hashes, and display the certificate issuer — 100% in-memory with zero file retention.

1. What is the US ESIGN Act & UETA?

In the United States, electronic and digital signatures are governed by two primary legislative frameworks:

• The ESIGN Act (Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act): A federal law passed in 2000 that ensures electronic signatures and records have the same legal standing as physical, paper-based documents for transactions involving interstate commerce.
• UETA (Uniform Electronic Transactions Act): A uniform state law adopted by 49 states, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands. It establishes the legal equivalence of electronic signatures at the state law level. New York maintains its own similar statute (ESRA).

While "electronic signatures" can be simple image scans or names typed on a line, "digital signatures" refer to the secure cryptographic implementations that use Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to lock document integrity.

2. Verifying Commercial Certificate Authorities (CAs)

Secure digital signatures in the US are typically generated using digital certificates issued by accredited third-party **Certificate Authorities (CAs)** like IdenTrust, DigiCert, Entrust, or GlobalSign.

PDF readers like Adobe Acrobat check the certificate against the **Adobe Approved Trust List (AATL)**. If the signing CA is listed on the AATL, the reader displays a green checkmark indicating the signer's identity is validated. PDF SignCheck parses these certificates directly from the PDF's PKCS#7 block, verifying the chain of trust up to the root CA without requiring desktop client configuration.

3. How to Verify US Digital Signatures on pdfsigncheck.com

PDF SignCheck provides a quick, secure, browser-based verifier to inspect the cryptographic details of your US documents:

1. Upload PDF: Drag and drop your signed PDF document into the verification box.
2. Cryptographic Extraction: The system parses the byte range parameters and extracts the PKCS#7/CMS signature wrapper.
3. Hash Verification: It calculates the SHA-256 digest over the signed byte ranges to ensure the file has not been altered or tampered with since signing.
4. Read Signing Identity:The verifier displays the signer's Common Name (CN), the issuing Certificate Authority (CA), and the exact timestamp.

4. DocuSign and Adobe Sign PDF Verification

Large electronic signature platforms (like **DocuSign**, **Adobe Sign**, or **PandaDoc**) act as identity orchestrators. When a document is signed on their platform, they apply a digital seal (a cryptographic signature) to the PDF.

This seal is signed by the platform's own accredited CA certificate (e.g., DocuSign CA). PDF SignCheck extracts this platform seal, confirms that the document has not been altered since the seal was applied, and verifies the certificate chain. This provides independent proof of document integrity outside of the platform's database.

5. Legal Admissibility in US Courts

Under the federal ESIGN Act, contracts cannot be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because they are in electronic form.

In legal proceedings, digital records must be authenticated. Under **Federal Rule of Evidence (FRE) 902(11) and 902(12)**, certain certified domestic or foreign records of regularly conducted activity are self-authenticating. A cryptographically verified digital signature with a secure timestamp provides strong evidence of authenticity, making the record admissible in court without requiring live witness testimony from the signer.

6. Troubleshooting & FAQs