How can we help you?
Legal framework
General questions
How do I sign up for Weleta?
Weleta’s sign-up process is simple: you need an email address or a phone number to create your account. Once your account is created, you need to verify your email by entering the code you receive. Now, you can start processing your documents!
Who can use Weleta?
Weleta is made for private and public organizations that deal with multiple contracts regularly, regardless of the sector. Weleta provides an accessible and easy service to help you manage and finalize your contracts in a very short amount of time.
In which countries are my documents valid?
Once your documents are signed, they are valid in Ethiopia and globally. Additionally, Weleta uses the patented Viditure technology, a video that provides proof of the signer’s identity and consent and serves as their signature.
It’s my first time using a digital contract. What do I need to know?
Your document needs to be prepared according to the laws of the country of operation. You will need to refer to a lawyer or notary to have a legally binding document. Once the document is done, you upload it to your Weleta account, assigning the fields for your signer and your email address or phone number.
How do I create a document on Weleta?
Once logged in, click “Request A Signature” to upload your contract. You can add the fields you require from your signer to your document, such as name, address, company name, signature, ID, etc. Once your signer completes the document, you will receive a confirmation notification.
Why can’t I send the documents to my signer?
To send documents to request a signature, users should choose a subscription plan that best fits their needs. Once payment is confirmed, users can start requesting signatures for their documents.
Which payment methods are available?
Weleta accommodates different payment methods.
My signer has difficulty signing the document I sent them.
When you create your document, you must enable a signing order to allow your recipient to sign. Once your document is uploaded, you must add the necessary fields so the recipient can fill in information such as date, name, initials, ID, signatures, etc. Without these fields, your recipient won’t have the possibility to fill out your document.
How private are the document transactions?
Only you and your team members can access your document. Documents are private, so they are not accessible to anyone you have not sent a request.
What does Weleta membership mean?
Membership on Weleta allows you to share documents and request signatures. Your membership is created once you complete payment for a subscription plan valid for 30 days or one year, based on your chosen subscription.
Can I store my documents on Weleta?
Your documents will be available in your account for review. Template documents for your organization are also available to send to any recipient at any moment.
What is a video signature (Viditure)?
Viditure is the process of consenting on video by stating you agree on a specific document ID. Signers are required to record themselves on the platform to confirm their signature on the specific document.
What’s the cost per document?
The price per document can range from 50 Birr to 150 ETB, depending on the selected package.
What language is available on Weleta?
Weleta provides multi-language access.
Are international signers allowed to use Weleta?
Yes, anyone globally can sign using Weleta. Our platform allows you to finalize contracts by getting signatures from anywhere in the world.
What is an electronic signature?
An electronic signature is data in electronic form attached to or logically associated with other data in electronic form and used by the signatory to sign, where a signatory is a natural person. Like its handwritten counterpart in the offline world, an electronic signature can be used, for instance, to indicate that the signatory has written the document electronically, agreed with the document’s content, or that the signatory was present as a witness. In case you want to seal a document as a legal person (e.g. as a business or organization), you might be instead interested in an electronic seal.
What is an electronic seal?
An electronic seal is data in electronic form, which is attached to or logically associated with other data in an electronic form to ensure the latter’s origin and integrity, where the creator of a seal is a legal person (unlike the electronic signature that a natural person issues). For this purpose, electronic seals might serve as evidence that an electronic document was issued by a legal person, ensuring certainty of the document’s origin and integrity. Nevertheless, across the European Union, when a transaction requires a qualified electronic seal from a legal person, a qualified electronic signature from the authorized representative of the legal person is equally acceptable.
What is a certificate for electronic signatures?
When signing a document, a pair of keys might be needed (i.e. when the signature relies on public-key infrastructure), namely a ‘public key’ and a ‘private key.’ The public key can be publicly shared, while the private key shall be securely stored. Especially the private key is used by the signatory to sign a document. In contrast, the public key is used by anyone verifying that it is actually the signatory’s private key that has been used to sign the document. A certificate for electronic signatures, issued by a Certificate Authority (CA), is an electronic attestation that links electronic signature validation data to a natural person and confirms at least the person’s name or pseudonym. This way, the certificate, usually linked to the signed document, can be used to verify the signatory’s identity and whether the document has been signed using the corresponding private key.
Legal framework
Electronic signatures are legally recognized in Ethiopia under the Electronic Signature Proclamation No. 1072/2018 to provide a faster and more secure alternative to signing documents. This proclamation defines two types of signatures: electronic signatures and digital signatures.
What laws support this technology in Ethiopia and internationally?
Overview Electronic signatures facilitate faster and more secure document signing for the public and private sectors, with the flexibility to choose the most efficient option for each organization, department, or project. Electronic signatures became legal in Ethiopia after the passage of the Electronic Signature Proclamation No. 1072/2018.
In Ethiopia, there are two primary types of electronic signatures:
1. An electronic signature refers to information in electronic form, affixed to or logically associated with an electronic message, which may be used to identify the signatory in relation to the electronic message and to indicate the signatory’s approval of the information contained in the electronic message. According to the Proclamation, an electronic message is information generated, sent, received or stored electronically. Electronic signatures use common electronic authentication methods to verify the signer’s identity, such as email, corporate ID, password protection, or a PIN sent to a mobile phone. Proof of signing is demonstrated via a secured process that often includes an audit trail and a final tamper-evident digital certificate embedded into the completed, signed document.
2. A digital signature is defined as an electronic signature that uses an asymmetric cryptosystem and meets the following requirements:
a) It is uniquely linked to the signatory;
b) It is capable of identifying the signatory;
c) It is created using a private key that the signatory has sole control;
d) It is linked to the electronic message to which it relates in such a manner that any
e) The subsequent change of the electronic message or the signature is detectable.
The information provided in this guide is intended to assist in understanding the legality of electronic signatures in Ethiopia.
Legal Recognition of Electronic Message
The proclamation gave legal recognition of electronic messages. It provides that no electronic message shall be denied legal effect, validity or admissibility in any legal proceeding, solely on the ground that it is in electronic form. Where any law requires that information shall be in writing, such requirement shall be deemed to have been satisfied if such information is rendered or made available in an electronic form and accessible to be used for subsequent reference. Legal Recognition of Electronic Signatures
The electronic signature proclamation recognizes the legality of electronic signatures in Ethiopia. The Proclamation stipulates that no electronic signature shall be denied legal effect, validity or admissibility as evidence in any legal proceeding, solely on the ground that it is in electronic form. Where any law or customary practice requires a signature of a person or provides consequences for the absence of a signature, that requirement is deemed to be satisfied where, a reliable electronic signature is used in light of all the circumstances:
a. That is appropriate for the purpose for which the data message was generated or communicated;
b. An agreement entered between parties regarding electronic signature; or
c. Considering other conditions such as the nature, extent, and type of the transaction, the capability of identifying contracting parties, and the essence of the electronic message.
Legal presumption regarding an electronic message
Furthermore, the Proclamation provides that in any civil proceedings involving electronic messages signed with a reliable electronic signature, it shall be presumed, unless the contrary is proved that:
1. The electronic signature is the signature of the subscriber;
2. The electronic signature was affixed by that person with the intention of approving the electronic message; and
3. The electronic message and the signature have not been altered since the specific point in time to which the electronic signature was affixed.
General questions
What is an electronic signature?
An electronic signature is data in electronic form attached to or logically associated with other data in electronic form and used by the signatory to sign, where a signatory is a natural person. Like its handwritten counterpart in the offline world, an electronic signature can be used, for instance, to indicate that the signatory has written the document electronically, agreed with the document’s content, or that the signatory was present as a witness. In case you want to seal a document as a legal person (e.g. as a business or organization), you might be instead interested in an electronic seal ( What is an electronic seal?).
What is an electronic seal?
An electronic seal is data in electronic form, which is attached to or logically associated with other data in the electronic form to ensure the latter’s origin and integrity, where the creator of a seal is a legal person (unlike the electronic signature that is issued by a natural person). In this purpose, electronic seals might serve as evidence that an electronic document was issued by a legal person, ensuring certainty of the document’s origin and integrity. Nevertheless, across the European Union, when a transaction requires a qualified electronic seal from a legal person, a qualified electronic signature from the authorized representative of the legal person is equally acceptable. Does the signer need an account to sign? No. Recipients do not need an account to receive a document from you. However, they need to download the app on their phone.