Electronic signatures will carry the same legal weight as written ones, when a new law comes into force in 2005.
The groundbreaking move puts Switzerland among the first European countries to recognise e-signatures.
The legislation will take e-commerce – the purchase of goods and services on the internet - one step further by making it possible for citizens to sign contracts and legal documents online.
The law was finally approved in the House of Representatives after parliamentarians accepted several changes that had been made by the Senate.
Under the law, the parties to an electronic contract would be clearly identified with a set of digital codes.
Individuals would be cleared of responsibility for the misuse of their signatures if they could show that they had taken security measures.
Certain official documents such as wills or deeds of sale for buildings will still have to be signed in the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper.
