Does the other party need a Docusign account to sign?

No. For standard flows the recipient opens a link, completes the identity verification configured for that envelope, and signs in the browser. No account, installation or dedicated hardware is required on their side.

Is an electronic signature the same as a scanned wet signature?

No, and the difference is the point. A scanned image can be copied onto any document and proves nothing about who applied it. An electronic signature binds the signer's verified identity to that specific document and makes any later alteration detectable.

Which Turkish law governs electronic signatures?

The Electronic Signature Law No. 5070 sets the framework and defines the secure electronic signature created with a qualified electronic certificate. The Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100, Article 205/2, gives data created with such a signature the force of a deed as written evidence.

Can every document be signed electronically in Turkey?

No. Turkish law excludes certain categories of transaction from electronic form, which still require a wet signature or a notarial deed. Whether a specific transaction falls inside or outside that exclusion should be confirmed with legal counsel for your case.

How long does an implementation take?

A basic eSignature rollout can be productive within days, since it needs no infrastructure on the signer's side. Timelines extend when the platform is integrated with an existing ERP or HR system, or when signing flows have to mirror a complex internal approval hierarchy.

What is kept as evidence after signing?

The sealed document together with its audit trail — the record of who opened and signed it, at what time, from which IP address, and the certificate information behind each signature. This combined record, not the visual signature, is what is produced if the agreement is later disputed.

Glossary

What Is Docusign?

Docusign is an agreement platform that lets organizations prepare, send, sign, store and track documents entirely in electronic form. Its eSignature product covers the signing step itself, while its CLM product covers the wider contract lifecycle — drafting, negotiation, approval, renewal and expiry — so that an agreement never has to leave the system to be printed, couriered or scanned.

For a company operating in Turkey the practical question is rarely "what is Docusign" in the abstract, but whether a document signed this way holds up locally. It does, provided the right signature type is used: Turkish law recognizes electronic signatures created with a qualified electronic certificate, and gives the resulting record the standing of written evidence in court. The sections below set out how the flow works, where the legal boundary sits, and what changes when your counterparty is a Turkish entity.

How the signing flow actually works

A sender uploads the document, places signature and data fields on it, and specifies the recipients and the order in which they must act. Each recipient receives a link, verifies their identity through the method configured for the envelope, and signs in the browser or on a mobile device. No account, software installation or card reader is required on the recipient's side for standard flows.

Every action is written to an audit trail: who opened the document, when, from which IP address, and what they changed. Once the last recipient signs, the platform seals the document so that any later modification is detectable, and distributes the completed copy to all parties. That sealed record — not the visual signature image — is what carries evidentiary weight later.

Is a Docusign signature legally valid in Turkey?

Yes, within a defined boundary. Turkey regulates electronic signatures under the Electronic Signature Law No. 5070 (Elektronik İmza Kanunu). The law distinguishes an ordinary electronic signature from a secure electronic signature created with a qualified electronic certificate issued by an accredited certificate authority — only the latter carries the strongest legal effect.

The consequence is set out in the Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100 (Hukuk Muhakemeleri Kanunu). Article 205/2 states that electronic data created with a secure electronic signature in accordance with procedure has the force of a deed — in other words, it stands as written evidence and the burden shifts to the party disputing it.

Two practical implications follow. First, the signature type matters more than the platform: an ordinary click-to-sign flow and a qualified-certificate flow are not legally equivalent, even though both are technically "electronic signatures." Second, certain categories of transaction are excluded from electronic form under Turkish law and still require a wet signature or a notarial deed. Where a specific transaction sits should be confirmed with counsel rather than assumed.

What changes when your counterparty is a Turkish entity

International teams usually arrive with a signing process already standardized on their home jurisdiction. The friction in Turkey is rarely the platform — it is the surrounding infrastructure. Qualified certificates are issued by locally accredited providers, and a signer inside a Turkish entity typically already holds one for other statutory purposes.

There is also a separate layer of Turkish e-government correspondence and notification systems that a foreign parent will not have encountered elsewhere. These are not part of Docusign; they sit alongside it and matter if your Turkish subsidiary corresponds with public institutions. A local implementation partner is usually the fastest way to work out which of these actually apply to your operation and which do not.

eSignature or CLM — which one do you need?

eSignature addresses a bounded problem: getting a finished document signed by the right people, in the right order, with a defensible record. If your contracts are drafted elsewhere and the bottleneck is the signature round-trip, this is the product that removes it.

CLM addresses the rest of the lifecycle. It holds templates and clause libraries, routes drafts through internal review, records negotiated changes, and tracks obligations and renewal dates after signature. Organizations typically adopt eSignature first because the return is immediate and measurable, then move to CLM once the volume or the compliance burden makes manual contract tracking untenable.

The two are not alternatives. CLM assumes a signing capability underneath it, and most deployments run both.

Which teams get the most out of it

The pattern is consistent across industries: the value scales with the number of parties who must sign and the cost of a delay. Financial services use it for onboarding and credit documentation, where a signature delay directly postpones revenue. Legal teams use it for engagement letters and settlement documents, where the audit trail matters as much as the signature.

Human resources is often the first department to adopt it, because offer letters, employment contracts and policy acknowledgements are high-volume, low-variation documents with a clear approval chain. Procurement and insurance follow the same logic on the supplier and policyholder side.

What a local Docusign partner adds

Netkur is a Docusign partner in Turkey. The platform itself is the same everywhere; what differs is the work of connecting it to the systems and obligations that already exist in a given market — ERP and HR integrations, qualified certificate providers, and the local e-government layer where it is relevant.

In practice that means implementation and integration work, configuration of signing flows to match an existing approval hierarchy, training for the teams who will run it, and support in the local time zone. For an international company setting up or scaling a Turkish operation, this is usually the difference between a platform that is licensed and a platform that is actually used.

What you'd like to know about Netkur and Docusign.

Does the other party need a Docusign account to sign?: No. For standard flows the recipient opens a link, completes the identity verification configured for that envelope, and signs in the browser. No account, installation or dedicated hardware is required on their side.
Is an electronic signature the same as a scanned wet signature?: No, and the difference is the point. A scanned image can be copied onto any document and proves nothing about who applied it. An electronic signature binds the signer's verified identity to that specific document and makes any later alteration detectable.
Which Turkish law governs electronic signatures?: The Electronic Signature Law No. 5070 sets the framework and defines the secure electronic signature created with a qualified electronic certificate. The Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100, Article 205/2, gives data created with such a signature the force of a deed as written evidence.
Can every document be signed electronically in Turkey?: No. Turkish law excludes certain categories of transaction from electronic form, which still require a wet signature or a notarial deed. Whether a specific transaction falls inside or outside that exclusion should be confirmed with legal counsel for your case.
How long does an implementation take?: A basic eSignature rollout can be productive within days, since it needs no infrastructure on the signer's side. Timelines extend when the platform is integrated with an existing ERP or HR system, or when signing flows have to mirror a complex internal approval hierarchy.
What is kept as evidence after signing?: The sealed document together with its audit trail — the record of who opened and signed it, at what time, from which IP address, and the certificate information behind each signature. This combined record, not the visual signature, is what is produced if the agreement is later disputed.