UK exporting businesses have long awaited an update to this notice and clarification of the wet-signature compliance need. 

Notice to Exporters 2023/25, published 22nd December, confirms the continuation of this relaxation of the wet-signature rule and that the ECJU will accept electronic signatures on compliance documentation.  The notice states that the ECJU - ‘no longer requires “wet” signatures on any documents, including end-user undertaking documents submitted to ECJU relating to export controls’. 

Legality of electronic signatures 

The notice also states that the ECJU fully appreciates that electronic signatures come in many forms and formats and that a signature is only as secure as the business processes and technology used to create them.  The notice confirms that a digital or electronic signature is as legally binding as a handwritten signature. 

Finally, for clarity, the notice confirms that the UK electronic signatures have been legal since 2000, and the Department of International Trade (DIT) (now the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) confirmed their commitment to digital trade back in November 2021. 

The notice is published at the link below: 

NTE 2023/25: electronic signatures and export licencing - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)