Electronic signatures

The question has been raised with the Division for Legal Affairs as to whether handwritten signatures are required for documents. This is addressed in the attached memorandum. The question regarding the use of electronic signatures has also been raised during the pandemic as well as in the pursuit of long-term e-management.

For reasons of efficiency and resource management and in order to facilitate remote work, Stockholm University aims to eventually avoid internal procedures that unnecessarily require handwritten physical signatures and to switch to digital signatures where possible. The Administrative Procedure Act, the Higher Education Act and the Higher Education Ordinance do not contain any statutory requirements for physical signatures on decisions made. They do however state that it must be possible to determine who the decision-maker is and that the decision has been made by an authorized officer who, according to the authority's decision-making and delegation policy, is entitled to make the decision. This applies to all types of decisions, including those taken in the form of minutes.

Certain types of legal acts that originate from a public authority require written form. In these cases, signatures serve as evidence to corroborate the documented and manifested contractual intention of the parties to an agreement. The physical signatures also show that the agreement has been entered into by the person who is authorized and empowered to enter into an agreement on behalf of the University. The attached memorandum contains a brief account of the Division for Legal Affairs’ view of physical signatures from a legal perspective. The ongoing work on the increased use of e-management is a collaboration between the Division for Legal Affairs, the Management Secretariat (Office of the President) and the Central Archives and Registry Services.

After this memorandum was written, an e-signature service has been developed. See the following link: E-signaturtjänsten

Last updated: 2024-12-18

Source: Division for legal affairs