Skip to main content
Language Foundation

wet signature

A wet signature is a signature written by hand in ink on a physical document, rather than an electronic signature.

In plain English

It means someone signs the document by hand so the mark is physically on the paper. The signature is made in ink on a physical document, not in electronic form.

In context

Here, it indicates that the agreement requires a handwritten ink signature on the physical document rather than an electronic signature.

Situation
Reading agreement sections, parties, dates, signatures, and execution status
What it communicates
names a handwritten signing requirement instead of a digital one.

Meaning limits

The term alone does not say who must sign or whether any signing has already happened.

Examples

“At the counter, he put a wet signature on the paper claim instead of signing it electronically.”

Core meaning

“The agreement requires a wet signature on the final page.”

In context

  • signature Broader Term

    A wet signature is one kind of signature.

  • electronic signature Contrast

    This is a different kind of signature, made electronically rather than by hand in ink on a physical document.