The short version
- Israel has an Electronic Signature Law that distinguishes an ordinary electronic signature from secure and certified ones. Not every document needs the same level.
- The answer to “is the signature valid?” depends on the specific document and the requirement that applies to it, not on the tool's name. Confirm the requirement with the Authority and a compliance adviser.
- Beyond validity, be able to prove who signed, when, on exactly what, and that the document was not changed afterwards.
- A good solution returns a signed, sealed document and a ledger you can show, not just a picture of a signature.
- Before choosing a vendor ask: what comes back, what is kept, for how long, and how you get it all back.
Signing on paper does three things: the client comes to the office or waits for the courier, the agency waits, and the document gets lost on the way. A digital signature shortens all of that, but it raises a question you cannot skip: can it be relied on, and what is left in our hands if someone disputes it? This article explains how to think about the question and what to check in a vendor. It continues the guide to digital forms and e-signing in an agency, which describes the flow from link to signed document.
General information, not legal advice
This article presents principles and does not determine the legal validity of a specific document. Which signatures are enough for which documents in insurance and pensions is set by law and the regulator's instructions, and is updated. Check the exact requirement with the Capital Market Authority and your compliance adviser.
What counts as an electronic signature#
The Electronic Signature Law, 5761-2001, is the framework in Israel, and the Ministry of Justice publishes its text and the 2018 amendment (linked at the end). Broadly, the law recognises that a signature can be electronic, and distinguishes several levels. The table explains the general differences. It is not an assessment of any specific document.
| Type | In plain words | Why it matters to an agency |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic signature (ordinary) | Any electronic mark or data attached to a message and used to sign, for example a finger signature on a screen | Convenient and fast, and its evidence rests mainly on the records around it |
| Secure electronic signature | A signature uniquely linked to the signer that identifies them and lets changes to the document after signing be detected | Makes a claim of “it was not me” or “the document was changed” harder |
| Certified electronic signature | A secure signature made with a certificate issued by a registered certifying party | The highest level of certainty, suitable where a specific requirement demands it |
- Electronic signature (ordinary)
In plain words
Any electronic mark or data attached to a message and used to sign, for example a finger signature on a screen
Why it matters to an agency
Convenient and fast, and its evidence rests mainly on the records around it
- Secure electronic signature
In plain words
A signature uniquely linked to the signer that identifies them and lets changes to the document after signing be detected
Why it matters to an agency
Makes a claim of “it was not me” or “the document was changed” harder
- Certified electronic signature
In plain words
A secure signature made with a certificate issued by a registered certifying party
Why it matters to an agency
The highest level of certainty, suitable where a specific requirement demands it
The level depends on the document
One document may be satisfied by an ordinary signature with records, and another may require a higher level. Do not assume a solution that suits one form suits all of the agency's forms, and do not rely on a vendor's general claim of “legally valid” without asking: for which document, and on the basis of which requirement.
Beyond validity: what you should be able to prove#
Even when the signature is valid, if someone disputes it you will be asked for evidence. Five questions worth having a recorded answer to:
- Who signed? How the client was identified before signing: a personal link, a code, an identity document, or a combination.
- When? A timestamp you can rely on, not a typed date.
- On exactly what? The precise version of the document the client saw, including the wording shown to them.
- Did anything change afterwards? A way to detect a change to the document after signing.
- What did they see and approve before signing? Explanations, declarations and consents shown along the way.
Seal, audit trail and retention#
Three mechanisms combine to answer those five questions. It helps to understand them even if the vendor handles them for you:
| Mechanism | What it does | What to ask the vendor |
|---|---|---|
| A seal on the final document | Ties the signed document to a cryptographic check, so a change after it is detected | What exactly is signed, with which key, and where the key is managed |
| An audit trail | A chronological record of events in the process: link opened, viewed, signed, sent | Whether the trail can be altered, and who can see it |
| Retention | Keeping the document and the trail over time | For how long, where, and in what format you get them back |
- A seal on the final document
What it does
Ties the signed document to a cryptographic check, so a change after it is detected
What to ask the vendor
What exactly is signed, with which key, and where the key is managed
- An audit trail
What it does
A chronological record of events in the process: link opened, viewed, signed, sent
What to ask the vendor
Whether the trail can be altered, and who can see it
- Retention
What it does
Keeping the document and the trail over time
What to ask the vendor
For how long, where, and in what format you get them back
This is how Financi Forms works, as its module page describes: the client fills in and signs with a finger on a phone, with no login and no app, and the agency receives a signed, sealed PDF with an AWS KMS seal and a 7-year WORM ledger. The module page describes the flow. Whether that is enough for a specific document of yours is a question for the Authority and your compliance adviser, not for the vendor.
How to choose a signing vendor: seven questions#
Questions for a signing vendor
0 of 7 checked
From the client's side: what makes signing a good experience#
- One link, from a phone. Every extra step is drop-off: an app, registration, a password.
- An explanation before the form. What is being signed, why, and what happens next, in plain sentences.
- Saved progress. A client who stopped halfway should return to the same point, not start over.
- A copy for the client. Every signing ends with the client receiving what they signed.
- Accessibility. Readable text on a phone, contrast, and forms that can be filled in Hebrew and English.
Recurring scenarios, and how to handle them#
Signing one document without a hitch is easy. What separates a good solution from a mediocre one is what happens when something deviates. Ask the vendor about each scenario, and try them in a pilot:
| Scenario | What should happen | What to clarify with the compliance adviser |
|---|---|---|
| The client started and did not finish | The link stays active for a defined time and the client returns to the same point | How soon the link expires and what happens to the data already filled in |
| The agency corrects a document after sending | A new version is created and the client signs it, not the old one | Whether the old version is kept and in what status |
| Several signers on one document | Each signer has separate identification and separate records | Who must sign, and in what order |
| Signing on behalf of another person | It is recorded who actually signed and under what authority | Which power-of-attorney or representation documents are required |
| A client who struggles with the phone | An option to complete with an agent alongside, without harming the record | Whether extra documentation is needed for the agent's involvement |
| A dispute over a signature | A signed document, a seal and an audit trail can be produced | Who represents the agency, and what is handed to the other side |
- The client started and did not finish
What should happen
The link stays active for a defined time and the client returns to the same point
What to clarify with the compliance adviser
How soon the link expires and what happens to the data already filled in
- The agency corrects a document after sending
What should happen
A new version is created and the client signs it, not the old one
What to clarify with the compliance adviser
Whether the old version is kept and in what status
- Several signers on one document
What should happen
Each signer has separate identification and separate records
What to clarify with the compliance adviser
Who must sign, and in what order
- Signing on behalf of another person
What should happen
It is recorded who actually signed and under what authority
What to clarify with the compliance adviser
Which power-of-attorney or representation documents are required
- A client who struggles with the phone
What should happen
An option to complete with an agent alongside, without harming the record
What to clarify with the compliance adviser
Whether extra documentation is needed for the agent's involvement
- A dispute over a signature
What should happen
A signed document, a seal and an audit trail can be produced
What to clarify with the compliance adviser
Who represents the agency, and what is handed to the other side
Do not settle for general answers from the vendor. Ask to see each scenario demonstrated in the system, and check what the trail records in each.
What the law says: four conditions, and who carries the burden of proof#
The table above describes the levels in plain words. The legal text is more precise, and worth knowing even if an adviser drafts the requirement for you. Under section 1 of the Electronic Signature Law, an electronic signature is electronic data or an electronic mark attached to or linked with an electronic message. To be secure, it meets four conditions: it is unique to the holder of the signing device, allows prima facie identification of that holder, was produced with a device under the holder's sole control, and makes it possible to detect any change made to the message after signing. An approved signature is a secure signature for which an approving body has issued an approved electronic certificate.
- Admissibility (section 3). An electronic signature is not rejected merely because it is electronic. A message signed with a secure signature is admissible as evidence and is prima facie proof that it was not altered after signing.
- Burden of proof (section 3A). Where the agency set the way of signing and the other party says they did not sign, the agency may be required to prove that they did. The section does not apply to an approved signature. That is why the record described above matters.
- A statutory signature requirement (section 2). Where a law requires a person's signature on a document, it can be met in an electronic message with an approved signature, or with another electronic signature that gives sufficient certainty for the purpose of the requirement. For some document types, such as a will, the First Schedule sets special rules.
In practice, ‘which signature do we need?’ has two separate answers: what the law requires for the document type, and what you can prove if asked. The first rests on the law and the rules that apply to the document. The second rests on what the system keeps: who signed, when, what exactly was signed, and that the document was not changed afterwards.
About the link to the law
The text linked at the end of this article comes from Wikisource and may lag behind amendments. Before relying on a section, check the current text on the Knesset site or a legal database, and confirm the requirement for the specific document with the Authority and your compliance adviser.
Common mistakes#
- Assuming every digital signature is equal. Level, identification and evidence differ between solutions.
- Settling for a picture of a signature. An image of a signature without a seal and a trail is weak evidence.
- Not checking the exit. Documents you cannot take out are a risk.
- Sending documents on a personal WhatsApp. The document leaves the agency's access control.
- Skipping the compliance adviser. The requirement for a specific document is set in law, not in marketing.
A sample signing journey: from proposal to closed file#
This is an example of a reasonable process in an agency. The order and steps vary by document type and the rules that apply to it, so confirm it with your compliance adviser before adopting it.
- Before sending
Check the version and the fields
The right document, in its current version, with every field the client has to fill in.
- Sending
Send through the channel the client chose
And record to whom, when and through which channel the document was sent.
- Opening
Check that the document was opened
If the client has not opened it after a reasonable time, reach out through another channel instead of resending the same link again and again.
- Signing
Receive the signature and record it
Who signed, when, and how they were identified, as far as the provider and the rules allow.
- After signing
Give the client a copy
And keep the signed document and its signature record in the client card.
- Closing
Update the status and the next task
The signed document unlocks the next step instead of sitting stuck in an inbox.
A measure worth tracking
How many documents stay “sent, not signed” for more than a week. That number shows where the process gets stuck.
Frequently asked questions
Want to see a signed form with a seal and a ledger?
Book a demo and we will walk through the flow from a link to a signed, sealed PDF, and tell you what Financi does not do.
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The information in this article is general only and is not financial, pension, legal or tax advice, nor a substitute for personal advice. Demos and calculators are illustrative models: your numbers will differ.
