Is a typed name a legal signature in Canada?

Generally, yes. What makes something a signature is that the person meant to sign with it, not how it looks. Here is what the law says, and what turns a typed name into one you can prove.

The short answer

Generally, yes. Ontario's Electronic Commerce Act, 2000 defines an electronic signature as electronic information that a person creates or adopts in order to sign a document, and PIPEDA's definition includes letters, characters, numbers or other symbols in digital form. A typed name can meet both. What matters in a dispute is showing who typed it, that they meant to sign, and that the document hasn't changed since.

What the law says

Ontario's Electronic Commerce Act, 2000 defines an electronic signature as electronic information that a person creates or adopts in order to sign a document and that is in, attached to or associated with the document. Part 2 of the federal PIPEDA defines it as a signature that consists of one or more letters, characters, numbers or other symbols in digital form, incorporated in, attached to or associated with an electronic document. Other provinces have similar definitions.

Neither asks for a drawn signature. A typed name, a drawn mark and an uploaded image of a signature can all be electronic signatures, as long as the person meant to sign with them.

Intent is the point

A name at the bottom of an email isn't automatically a signature on whatever the email discusses: it depends on whether the person meant it as one. That is why signing a document deliberately, by pressing a button that says you are signing, is stronger evidence than a name that happens to appear on a page.

Making a typed signature provable

  • Who: the signing link went to the person's own email address, and a one-time code can be asked for before the document opens.
  • Intent: the person typed their name and pressed Sign on the document itself.
  • When and where: the date, time and IP address of each step are recorded.
  • Unchanged: the finished PDF is sealed, so any change after signing shows.

bSign records all of this on the certificate of completion that comes with every signed document. What an audit trail records, and why it matters.

The exceptions

Some documents need more than any electronic signature: in Ontario, wills, most powers of attorney and negotiable instruments such as cheques, and affidavits that have to be sworn before a commissioner. The full list.

Sources

This guide is general information, not legal advice; for a particular document, ask a lawyer. Published 2026-10-04 by Binarium, the Ontario IT services company behind bSign.

Questions

Asked often

Something else? Write to support@bsign.ca.

Is a typed name a valid electronic signature in Canada?

Generally, yes. Canadian electronic commerce laws define electronic signatures broadly enough to include a typed name, as long as the person meant to sign with it.

Is a drawn signature stronger than a typed one?

Not by itself. Both are electronic signatures; what makes either easy to prove is the record of who signed, when, and that the document hasn't changed.

Is my name at the bottom of an email a signature?

Not automatically. It depends on whether you meant it to sign something. Signing the document itself, deliberately, leaves no doubt.

Can signers type their name in bSign?

Yes. Signers can type their name, draw their signature or upload an image of it, and every signature is recorded on the certificate of completion.

Let them type it, and keep the proof.

Every bSign signature, typed or drawn, comes with a certificate of who signed and when. Free for 1 user and 2 documents a month.

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