---
title: Wet Signature: Definition and How It Works | Aavenir
url: https://aavenir.com/glossary/wet-signature/
description: A wet signature is a signature made by hand on a physical document with a pen or seal, the traditional way of signing a legally binding contract.
updated: 2026-11-07
---

[Home](https://aavenir.com/) / [Resources](https://aavenir.com/resources/) / [Glossary](https://aavenir.com/glossary/) / Wet signature Glossary

# What is a wet signature?

A wet signature is a signature made by hand on a physical document with a pen or seal, the traditional way of signing a legally binding contract.

## What it is

For centuries, signing a paper document in ink has been how people and businesses showed agreement and guarded against fraud. Today most business contracts are signed electronically instead, because electronic signatures are faster, easier to track and recognized in law in most countries.

## When a wet signature may still be needed

- Some property transfers and deeds in certain jurisdictions.

- Wills and some family law documents.

- Documents that must be notarized in person in some places.

- Agreements where a counterparty or regulator insists on ink.

## The cost of relying on paper

Printing, signing, scanning and couriering documents slows contract execution and makes it harder to know which version was signed and where the original is. Businesses that rely on wet signatures for routine contracts spend time and money they do not need to.

## How Aavenir handles it

[Contractflow](https://aavenir.com/solutions/enterprise-contract-management-software/) sends contracts for electronic signature through DocuSign and other providers, and stores scanned wet signed originals on the same contract record when ink is required.

## Keep reading

[Electronic signature An electronic signature is a legally recognized way to sign a document electronically to show agreement. Read more](https://aavenir.com/glossary/e-signature/)[Contract A contract is a legally binding agreement that sets out the rights and duties of the parties to it. Read more](https://aavenir.com/glossary/contract/)[Conformed contract A conformed contract is a clean copy of a contract that folds in every agreed change, so one document shows the current terms. Read more](https://aavenir.com/glossary/conformed-contract/)

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

## Common questions

###

### Is a wet signature more legally valid than an electronic one?

In most cases no. Electronic signatures are legally recognized for most business contracts in many countries, including under the United States ESIGN Act. A few document types still require ink in some jurisdictions. [Read about electronic signatures](https://aavenir.com/glossary/e-signature/).

###

### Can a scanned wet signature be used?

A scan is a copy of the signed document. It is often accepted as evidence, but some situations require the original. Keep originals where the law or the contract demands it. [Read about contract execution](https://aavenir.com/glossary/contract-execution/).

###

### How do you move from wet to electronic signatures?

Check which documents legally need ink, switch the rest to an electronic signature provider and connect it to your contract system so signed copies are filed automatically. [See Contractflow](https://aavenir.com/solutions/enterprise-contract-management-software/).

Have a question we have not answered? [Ask the Expert](https://aavenir.com/contact/)

Schedule a demo

## See your contracts run on one record.

- **1****A 30 minute walkthrough**Built around your team, whether that is procurement, legal, IT or finance.

- **2****Your contracts, not ours**Bring a few sample agreements and watch Aavenir AI extract and review them.

- **3****ServiceNow or standalone**We show the deployment that fits the systems you already run.

Prefer to talk first? [Contact the team](https://aavenir.com/contact/).

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