Request a signature on a PDF

What a signature request is, and why it is different from signing a file

When you sign a PDF yourself, the result is a file. When you ask other people to sign, the result is a process: each person needs to receive the document, open it, sign their part, and get the final copy, and you need to know where things stand and be able to prove later what happened.

That is why this tool works in two halves. The first half, preparing the request, happens entirely in your browser and needs no account: you add the PDF, list the signers and see where their fields will go. The second half, sending, needs a free account, because that is where the private signing links, the reminders and the audit trail live. Your prepared request carries over when you sign up, so you do not start again.

How the fields are placed

This tool uses the same layout as Salsox's Quick Send. For each signer, a signature field and a date field are added at the end of the document, stacked so each person has their own space. If the last page does not have room for everyone, a signature page is added after it. That covers the most common request: "please sign here and date it".

If your document needs fields in specific places, such as initials on each page, a name in a box or a checkbox beside a clause, open it in the full editor after signing up and place each field by hand.

After you send

Each signer receives an email with a link to their copy. You can also copy the link, or share it to WhatsApp or SMS, from the document's page. Reminders go out every three days until people sign, links expire after 30 days unless you choose otherwise, and if you typed an address wrong you can correct it without rebuilding anything.

When the last person signs, everyone receives the signed PDF. It carries a verification code that anyone can check, and the full history of the document is kept in its audit trail.

Good practice for signature requests

• Use a clear document title. It is what signers see in the email subject.
• Check addresses before sending. Each link only works for the person it was sent to.
• Say what you need in the message. A line of context ("the lease we discussed, please sign by Friday") gets faster signatures than a bare link.
• Do not send someone a link meant for another person. Each link signs as its recipient.

For a full walk-through, read how to send a document for signature. If you only need to sign something yourself, the Sign PDF tool is quicker.