What is a wet signature?

Wet signature at a glance

Meaning	A signature written by hand with pen and ink on paper
Also called	Pen-and-ink signature, original signature
Compared with	Electronic signature: a sound, symbol or process attached to a record with the intent to sign
Copies	USCIS takes a scan, copy or fax of a form signed in ink, except where USCIS directs otherwise

What does wet signature mean?

A wet signature is a signature you write by hand in ink on a paper document. The Social Security Administration defines it as “a handwritten name or mark made with pen-and-ink on a physical document”. The Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review defines it as a signature completed with an ink pen on a paper document.

HUD explains the name: “wet” refers to ink that needs time to dry. HUD also uses “original signature” with the same meaning.

When do you need a wet signature?

You need a wet signature when the agency, court or person you sign for requires a handwritten one. Three federal examples:

• IRS Forms 2848 and 8821 sent by mail or fax. The IRS says digital, electronic or typed-font signatures are not valid on those forms when mailed or faxed.
• The fillable Form I-9. USCIS says employers and employees using the fillable form must print it and sign it by hand. See how to fill out Form I-9.
• Paper filings with USCIS. USCIS accepts an electronic signature only when prompted during online filing through a USCIS account; beyond that, only a handwritten signature is valid. Under a USCIS rule in effect since July 10, 2026, if USCIS accepts a request and later finds it lacks a valid signature, USCIS may reject or deny it.

Under 15 U.S.C. 7003, ESIGN’s main rule doesn’t apply to records governed by laws on wills, state family law such as adoption and divorce, or official court documents. Ask the court or a lawyer which kind of signature to use on those papers.

Is a scanned signature still a wet signature?

A scan is a copy of a wet signature. The copy has to be of the form you signed by hand, and USCIS may ask to see the original.

USCIS doesn’t accept a picture of a signature added to an unsigned form, such as a signature image cut and pasted onto it. The State Department, for its own policy, counts non-electronic signatures in PDF files as wet signatures. Read the instructions for your form, or ask the office that asked for it.

How to fill in a PDF and sign it in ink

When you have to sign a form in ink, you can still type the rest of it. The steps are the same as when you fill out a PDF form.

1. Open the PDF with the button above. The PDF opens in your browser and is never uploaded.
2. Place the $1.99 hold, then type into the form’s boxes. Nothing is charged until you download.
3. Leave the signature line empty.
4. Press Download. We charge the $1.99, and your browser saves the filled PDF.
5. Print the PDF and sign it in ink on the signature line.
6. Send the signed paper by the method in the form’s instructions: by mail, by fax, or as a scan if the agency accepts copies.

Wet signature vs electronic signature

A wet signature is made in ink on paper, and an electronic signature is made electronically. Under the federal ESIGN Act, an electronic signature is “an electronic sound, symbol, or process” attached to or associated with a record, made with the intent to sign.

Under ESIGN, a signature in a transaction in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce can’t be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic. Under ESIGN, no one has to agree to use or accept electronic signatures, except a government agency for records other than its own contracts. For more, read are electronic signatures legal in the US.

For Form 2848 submitted online, the IRS accepts a typed name in the signature block and a scanned image of a handwritten signature, among other methods. When an electronic signature is accepted, you can sign a PDF here. We place a picture of your signature on the page, with no identity check or audit trail. For other IRS forms, see which IRS forms accept an electronic signature.