How to request an electronic signature

A final version of the document, since it will be locked when you send it. The full name and email address of every signer. And a decision about order: should one person sign before the next sees it (sequential), or can everyone sign at the same time (parallel)?

The signer opens the link on any device, with no account needed. If you required an emailed code, they enter it first; it expires after 10 minutes, works once and allows 5 tries. They then read the ESIGN consumer disclosure, which explains what the consent covers, how to get paper copies, how to withdraw consent or change their email address, and the hardware and software needed, and agree to sign electronically. Next comes the document with their fields highlighted. They fill and sign, then finish. A signer can also decline and give a reason, or choose “I'd rather use paper”, which is recorded in the audit trail.

While they sign, the signer's browser creates a signing key that never leaves their device. It is an ECDSA P-256 key, unique to that signer, and it signs a statement tying the document's SHA-256 fingerprint to exactly what that person entered; PDFBetter's certificate authority certifies the key. With the seal on the finished file, this means each request is designed to the technical requirements of an advanced electronic signature (eIDAS art. 26): a unique key per signer, under their sole control, linked to the document so any change is detectable. Signers are identified by email (and an optional emailed code), not by ID documents or SMS.

When the last person signs, everyone receives the completed PDF with the signatures and entries flattened into the pages, plus a certificate of completion. The certificate lists each recipient, their consent, view and signing times in UTC and IP addresses, the fingerprint of each signer's device-key certificate, and the SHA-256 fingerprints of the document as sent and as completed.

Both files are digitally sealed with a PAdES signature from “PDFBetter Document Seal” and independently time-stamped under RFC 3161 by DigiCert when the service is reachable. Change one byte and PDF readers show the file as modified. The seal certificate comes from PDFBetter's own certificate authority, which is not on Adobe's trust list, so Acrobat shows the seal's identity as not verified unless you trust PDFBetter's certificate; the change detection works either way.

Every step is written to an audit log in which each entry includes a hash of the previous one, so a later change to the record is detectable. The sealed PDF embeds a signing-evidence file with the signers' statements, device signatures, certificates, submitted values and this audit log. PDFBetter keeps completed evidence for 7 years, even if you delete the document or your account.

Double-check email addresses; a typo sends the link to a stranger or nowhere. Put a date field next to every signature rather than asking people to type dates. Use sequential order when a counter-signature must come last, such as a manager signing after the employee. If you send the same document often, save it as a template with roles instead of people.

Some documents need more than any e-signature service provides: notarized documents, wills in most places, certain property deeds, and documents where a law requires a qualified electronic signature (QES), wet ink or witnesses. PDFBetter does not offer SMS codes, phone authentication, knowledge-based questions or government ID checks, and does not create qualified electronic signatures. Check what the document requires before you send it.