# Are electronic signatures legal in New Zealand?

Yes, for most documents. What the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017 requires, which documents are excluded and what makes an e-signature hold up.

Source: https://flowsign.app/blog/are-electronic-signatures-legal-in-new-zealand
Published: 7 October 2026

Yes. Electronic signatures are legal in New Zealand for most documents, including contracts, employment agreements and consent forms.

This is general information, not legal advice.

## What the law says

The rules sit in Part 4 of the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017, which replaced the Electronic Transactions Act 2002.

Under section 226, an electronic signature meets a legal requirement for a signature when it:

- Identifies the signer and shows that they approve the information.
- Is as reliable as the purpose and circumstances call for.

If the law requires the signed information to be given to someone, that person must also consent to an electronic signature.

## What makes a signature reliable

Section 228 presumes an electronic signature is reliable when:

- The means of signing is linked to the signer and nobody else.
- It was under the control of the signer and nobody else.
- Any later change to the signature can be detected.
- Any later change to the document can be detected, where integrity is the point.

A signature that misses one of these can still be valid. It is just harder to prove.

## Documents you cannot sign electronically

Schedule 5 of the Act excludes some documents. The common ones are:

- Wills and other testamentary documents.
- Affidavits and statutory declarations.
- Powers of attorney and enduring powers of attorney.
- Negotiable instruments.

Some regulators set their own rules too. Land transfer documents, for example, follow guidance from Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand.

## Witnessed signatures

Section 227 lets a witness sign electronically on the same conditions. The witness still has to see the person sign.

## How Flowsign helps

- **Identity.** Each signer gets a private link at their own email address, with an optional password.
- **Consent.** Signers agree to [sign electronically](https://flowsign.app/legal/esign-consent) before they start.
- **Detecting changes.** A completed package is sealed into one tamper-evident record.
- **Evidence.** Every plan includes an audit trail and a certificate of completion.

Read more on our [trust page](https://flowsign.app/trust), or [create a free account](https://my.flowsign.app/signup).