With the advent of new digital communication tools, there is increasing business reliance on the internet to send documents of various types: legal, financial, personal, and so on. But there is also an important question: Are mail documents online services legally recognized?
The answer is yes, provided that the online mailing service is used properly and through reliable service providers, it is legal in most jurisdictions. Let’s sort out the matter of them being legally recognized, and more importantly, what the user ought to consider.
What Makes a Mailing Method ‘Legally Recognized’?
Legal recognition pertains to the method of delivering a document and what it is considered proof of:
- Delivery
- Receipt
- Identity of the sender
- Identity of the document
In the case of contracts and notices, and also certified mail, the legal admissibility of a document usually requires proof of delivery, a date of transmission, and the acknowledgment of the recipient.
How Online Mailing Services Meet Legal Standards
Most respectable online mailing services are built to be compliant with legal standards, and so come equipped with features that, in comparison to standard mail, the level of proof and traceability is advanced.
1. Certified Mail Integration
Countless services permit you to directly send certified mail from your computer, which is mailed through the USPS system.
Within the postal service, graphic mail sends:
- Classified ART tracking mail
- Records of delivery
- Confirmation of signature (if requested).
Formal mail sent within the USA can be done using this method, as it is supported by the USPS. This method is legally accepted for formal or legal mail sent within the United States.
2. Digital Time Stamps and Audit Trails
Reconciling documents maintained on cloud services with actual documents includes:
- Creation of electronic documents with designated electronic signatures
- Mailing within the system
- Secured electronic internal mail
- Accessed by designated users only (for distributed delivery)
In many legal situations, the above-mentioned does become admissible, and often provides better evidence than a legal paper.
3. Document Integrity and Encryption
Legal attachment documents for enforceability, if they are required, it is required that the documents with legal signatures on them have never been changed. Why use the principles mentioned above:
- Legally signed documents are often lost or misplaced.
- Having cloud storage with smart secret keys adds another layer of security.
- Storing encrypted documents is a basic level of security.
Surely, with the legal attachment losing them with change is crucial. Documents with legal signatures on them are often misplaced or lost.
Are Electronic Signatures Sent via Online Mail Legal?
Yes. The ESIGN Act states that these documents are electronically signed.
- The signer’s identity can be verified
- Intent to sign is clear
- A full audit trail is captured
Many online mailing services also include e-signature features, making it easy to send, sign, and archive documents legally.
When to Double-Check the Legal Requirements
A thorough email verification indicates the mail is admissible, but do not forget to check:
- Local practice directions (for the court, governmental bodies, and so forth)
- If the recipient of the correspondence is still legally required to receive something in the post (rare, but it does happen)
- That the service retains and can produce the legally required audit trail and compliance documentation
Final Thoughts
As such, is it still the case that ‘emailing’ is legally permissible, provided that the service is secure, compliant with regulations, and the processes are properly documented? Certainly yes. Most of the time, emails have better accountability and audit trails than physical mail. This is why emailing is considered the preferred form of communication in the contemporary, digitized ecosystem.
