Is a contract signed electronically valid?
Yes, where no law or agreement prescribes a form, since a legal statement can be made orally, in writing or by conduct (Hungarian Civil Code § 6:4). Under eIDAS an electronic signature cannot be denied legal effect merely for being electronic; only a qualified one equals a handwritten signature (Article 25).
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What kinds of electronic signature are there?
| Level | What it takes | Legal effect |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic signature (Article 3(10)) | Data in electronic form attached to or logically associated with other electronic data and used by the signatory to sign | Cannot be denied merely for being electronic (Article 25(1)) |
| Advanced (Article 26) | Uniquely linked to and capable of identifying the signatory, created with data under the signatory's sole control, and linked to the signed data so that any later change is detectable | As above |
| Qualified (Article 3(12)) | An advanced signature made with a qualified signature creation device and based on a qualified certificate | Equivalent to a handwritten signature (Article 25(2)) |
When does written form matter, and what does it mean electronically?
Details
- If a law or the parties' agreement prescribes a form, the statement is valid only in that form (Civil Code § 6:6(1)).
- A statement is in writing when the person making it has signed it (§ 6:7(2)).
- A statement also counts as written when it is communicated in a form that allows its content to be retrieved unchanged and the person making it and the time to be identified (§ 6:7(3)).
Which form a particular kind of contract needs is set by the law that governs it; where a form is required, check with a lawyer which signature level satisfies it. This is general information based on the texts as read on 17 October 2026, not legal advice.
What does a contract signed on a link prove?
Details
In a dispute the questions are who signed, when, and exactly which text. A good electronic signing process records all three, and also shows that the text has not changed since.
- HelloCRM's Contracts module has the contract signed on a link, and for every signature records who signed, when, from which IP address and browser.
- At signing it stores the SHA-256 fingerprint of the contract's text, and the contract page shows beside every signature whether the stored text still gives that fingerprint.
- A signed text cannot be edited, a signed contract cannot be deleted, and the signer gets a PDF copy.
- This is not a qualified electronic signature: it uses no qualified certificate and no qualified signature creation device.
Which module?
Module: Contracts (paid module, price coming soon).
Questions
Does a scanned handwritten signature count as an electronic signature?
Under Article 3(10) of eIDAS, any electronic data the signatory uses to sign is an electronic signature. Its legal effect cannot be denied merely for being electronic, but only a qualified one is equivalent to a handwritten signature.
What is the difference between an advanced and a qualified signature?
A qualified signature is an advanced signature made with a qualified signature creation device and based on a qualified certificate (Article 3(12)); only it has the effect of a handwritten one.
Can a signed contract's text be changed in HelloCRM?
No: once signed, the text is locked and the contract cannot be deleted. New terms mean a new text sent for signature.
Sources
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. The rules come from: A 910/2014/EU rendelet (eIDAS) 3., 25. és 26. cikk, egységes szerkezetben, EUR-Lex (checked ); 2013. évi V. törvény a Polgári Törvénykönyvről (Ptk.) 6:4., 6:6., 6:7. §, Nemzeti Jogszabálytár (checked )