Update To Wet Signature Requirement

BY:

Gail Leeson
8 January 2024

SHARE:

Back in 2020 (NTE 2020/25), the ECJU announced that due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the difficulties presented by businesses faced both in the sending and receiving of wet-signed compliance documents, they would relax the wet-signed document requirement and accept electronic signatures in place of wet-signatures on documents needed for compliance audits and to support UK export licence use and application submissions.     

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) 


 


OneCall™ Email assistance as and when required; A one-call solution for all your import, export and customs enquiries. Export help. Import help. Customs help.

Stay informed about customs and international trade matters by subscribing to our OneCall™ service. This comprehensive offering includes a dedicated email helpline for support, timely practical updates direct to your inbox (Did You Know?), monthly UK Customs & Trade Briefings and access to an interactive members' area with an exclusive community for our subscribers.

Subscribe Today ➝

International Trade Updates & Spotlight Newsletter

Subscribe to our free information emails covering international trade topics...

Subscribe to our newsletter ➝

MORE INDUSTRY INSIGHTS...

I went to the shops…. An International Trade Advisor's Festive Shopping Spree

by Lucille Roche • 12 December 2025
As a Customs and International Trade advisor, I need to know a lot about the importation process and understand how goods make their way onto supermarket shelves. This includes all the regulatory requirements they must meet to achieve this. Importantly, I need to understand Tariff Classification, how to determine which certificates are required for importing goods, which legislation applies, and whether the product is a food product or a composite good.

Notice to Exporters 2025/32 – UK Accedes to the Agreement on Defence Export Controls

by Steve Berry • 12 December 2025
On December 11th 2025, Notice to Exporters 2025/32 was issued, advising on the UK’s formal Agreement on Defence Export Controls, a defence exports treaty with France, Germany, and Spain, designed to establish a framework to facilitate licensing by promoting closer integration across the contracting parties in the signa

Panic at the Pole – Unarrived Customs Entries

by Andy Baker • 8 December 2025
The magic of Christmas, due to an elf's oversight, is dangerously up in the air. Father Christmas, with his sleigh full of presents, sends a ‘code red gift emergency’ message to the head of elf logistics at the pole.
Show More