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Marketing & Brand Manager
PUBLISHED
10th July, 2025
As the modern business landscape evolves, adopting electronic signature technology has seen a significant uplift. However, ensuring your e-signatures are legal, secure, and compliant with all relevant regulations is not as simple as clicking an ‘I agree’ box or drawing a signature directly on a document without any supporting verification.
In this guide, we explore how to create e-signature workflows that are fully compliant with GDPR principles. So you never have to worry about or question the validity of your signed documents.
GDPR compliance refers to the actions and safeguards organisations must implement to protect personal data, as outlined by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduced in 2018.
If your business gathers, processes, or shares personal information within the UK or EU, you’re legally required to adhere to these data protection standards.
This responsibility extends to electronic signatures as well, ensuring that your processes align with GDPR, not only fulfilling legal obligations but also reinforcing trust and transparency with your customers.
According to the GDPR, any information relating to an identifiable individual constitutes personal data. In relation to electronic signatures, this includes:
Processing personal data is a key element of functionality in any electronic signature solution. This includes collecting identifying details from signers, storing information about signing activities, creating and maintaining audit trails, and more. Therefore, GDPR compliance is mandatory, with data protection affecting both e-signature providers and their customers.
Several core GDPR principles apply to the use of electronic signatures. These include:
Businesses using digital signatures in their workflows should integrate these principles into their document processes.
There are many electronic signature providers in the market today, but not all of them will offer the right type of solution for your business when it comes to compliance.
When choosing a provider, you will need to consider the following factors:
An essential part of maintaining compliance in your e-signature workflow is understanding where and how data is collected, processed, stored, and transmitted throughout the signing process. This involves identifying what types of personal data are being collected, processed, and stored during the signing workflows, monitoring who has access and at what stages, and identifying any third-party systems involved, such as CRMs or cloud storage.
GDPR requires that individuals can express informed and clear consent for their personal data to be processed by an organisation. Adding a detailed privacy notice before signing, including checkboxes for consent to the terms and data use, and explaining data usage and retention, achieves this. It’s important to note that consent must be separate from contract acceptance, avoiding the risk of any ambiguity and the individual not understanding what they are consenting to.
Audit trails and access controls are extremely important because they show that the intended recipient signed the document, and this is irrefutable. Audit trails provide evidence by tracking who signed, when, where, and with what device/IP address.
Controlling access to sensitive data with role-based permissions is an effective way to ensure accountability and reduce the risk of data breaches or cyberattacks. Automated alerts should also be set up if unauthorised access is detected. These measures protect your businesses and your signers.
In line with GDPR’s data minimisation and storage limitation principles, it’s best practice to have the following processes in place that ensure compliance:
Even the most carefully designed workflow can fall short if your team isn’t equipped to follow it correctly. Ongoing, practical training helps ensure staff understand the role they play in maintaining GDPR compliance as part of their day-to-day responsibilities.
It’s also essential to include regular audits as part of your process. These checks help verify that your eSignature workflows remain aligned with GDPR requirements, especially as regulations or internal procedures evolve.
By staying proactive in these areas, your business not only reduces the risk of fines, but also strengthens client confidence. A GDPR-compliant eSignature process supports both operational efficiency and data protection, making it a smart investment for any UK business.
See examples of important best practices below to maintain compliance in your eSignature workflows
– As a UK business, having an e-signature solution specifically designed to comply with UK regulations is a must. When considering different providers, be sure to look for explicit compliance statements with GDPR, verify eIDAS certification, check for ISO accreditations, and review security assessments.
E-Sign is a leading UK e-signature provider with security and compliance at the heart of everything we do. We hold several accreditations, including ISO 27001, ISO 9001, Cyber Essentials Plus, and FSQS. As well as meeting compliance standards for GDPR and eIDAS. This makes E-Sign a legally binding solution for businesses that never want to question the validity or security of their signed documents.
– Honest communication builds trust and maintains positive relationships between businesses and their clients/partners. Before any signing takes place, let the signer know what their rights are with their data.
This might detail data processing methods, verification procedures, and access to privacy policies, along with instructions on how to exercise data rights. Include educating signers as part of your overall document workflows.
Even with the best intentions, many businesses unknowingly fall short of full GDPR compliance when implementing eSignature workflows. Here are the most frequent (and costly) mistakes organisations make that impact GDPR compliance.
Creating GDPR compliant e-signature workflows doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming when you’ve got the right solution in your digital toolkit.
Your electronic signature processes are crucial in ensuring trust and compliance, as with any other data handling in your business. Protect your business and your customers with secure, compliant and legally binding digital signing with E-Sign.
Contact us today to discuss your digital document requirements, or get started with E-Sign by registering for our 14-day free trial — no card details needed.
Disclaimer – E-Sign UK Ltd is not a legal practice, and nothing on this website constitutes legal or other advice.