Legal value of signatures
Does an electronic signature in OSCAR have legal value? Here is, plainly, what it really is and what the law says.
⚠️ General information, not legal advice
This page explains how OSCAR's signature mechanism actually works and its general legal framework (French and EU law). It does not replace advice from a legal professional for a specific situation.
What an electronic signature is in OSCAR
When you sign a document in OSCAR (lease, check-in inventory, guarantee deed…), the app records the name typed by the signer, an image of the signature drawn on the screen, the fingerprint (hash) of the document's exact content at the time of signing, and a server-side timestamp. It is a traced capture of consent — it is NOT a qualified electronic signature within the meaning of the eIDAS Regulation.
The 3 eIDAS levels
EU law (Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, known as “eIDAS”) distinguishes three levels of electronic signature:
Simple
Links a signer to a document, with no particular technical requirement.
✅ Level used by OSCAR
Advanced
Uniquely identifies the signer and guarantees integrity under their sole control.
❌ Not provided
Qualified
Advanced + a certificate from a certified trust service provider — legal presumption of reliability.
❌ Not provided
Is it legally valid?
Article 1367 of the French Civil Code treats an electronic document as equivalent to a paper one, provided a process makes it possible to identify the person it comes from and guarantees their link with the document. A simple signature can meet this requirement, but — unlike a qualified signature — it enjoys no automatic legal presumption: if it is disputed, whoever relies on it must show that the process is reliable (typed name, signature image, content hash, timestamp — evidence, never an absolute guarantee).
Special case: the joint and several guarantor
Since the reform that came into force on 1 January 2022 (article 2297 of the French Civil Code), an individual guarantor must, on pain of nullity, write a statement themselves that clearly expresses their commitment (joint and several nature, amount in words and figures, duration) — typed or electronic, but never pre-filled by the landlord or by OSCAR. This is why OSCAR never offers a ready-made wording for this statement: it remains a free field filled in by the guarantor.
The role of blockchain anchoring
Anchoring on the Bitcoin blockchain (an open protocol, see verify a blockchain anchoring) is independent of the signature mechanism described above. It proves that a document already existed before a given date — it does not raise the level of the electronic signature itself in any way, and never replaces it.
For stronger legal value
If a situation requires the level of guarantee of a qualified signature, you need to use a dedicated certified trust service provider — a building block OSCAR does not provide today. A document generated by OSCAR can still be printed and signed by hand as an alternative.