As governments implement stricter measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, enforceability concerns regarding electronically signed documents are gaining additional relevance. These concerns are especially present in jurisdictions such as the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), where the use of e-signatures is not yet the norm.
The E-Commerce Law -
Federal Law No. 1 of 2006 of the U.A.E. (the “E-Commerce Law”) enshrines the principle that e-signatures are a legitimate means of authenticating documents. The ECommerce Law applies to documents governed by the “onshore” laws of the U.A.E. and may not apply in certain free zones that have passed their own e-signature rules. For example, under the rules of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) esignatures are governed by the DIFC Electronic Transactions Law of 2017, which outlines requirements that are wholly separate from the E-Commerce Law.
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