How to verify a digitally signed PDF in Pakistan

Pakistan's law on electronic signatures dates from the Electronic Transactions Ordinance, 2002 (ETO). Digital signatures are used in banking, corporate filings, public procurement and some government documents, while many official documents are verified with QR codes and online lookups instead. Here is how to check both kinds.

The short answer

1. Check the file with Verify PDF Signature: is there a digital signature, is it intact, what changed after signing?
2. Check the issuer: who issued the certificate, and is that provider accredited by the Electronic Certification Accreditation Council (ECAC)?
3. Check the record with the issuing body for official documents, usually by QR code, reference number or online register.

The legal background, briefly

• The ETO 2002 gives legal recognition to electronic documents and signatures.
• It defines an advanced electronic signature in two alternative ways: either a signature that is unique to the signer, capable of identifying them, created in a manner or using a means under the signer's sole control, and attached to the document so that any later change is detectable; or one provided by an accredited certification service provider and accredited as capable of establishing authenticity and integrity. The ordinance attaches stronger legal presumptions to advanced electronic signatures, and accredited providers are the most straightforward way to show a signature qualifies.
• The ECAC was established by the federal government under section 18 of the ordinance and works under the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication. It accredits certification service providers that want to operate as accredited providers, and approves the cryptographic equipment they use.
• NIFT (National Institutional Facilitation Technologies) became the first certification service provider in Pakistan to be accredited by the ECAC, and has issued certificates to banks among others. Accreditations are granted and renewed over time, so check the ECAC's current information before relying on any provider's status.

Who does what

Step 1: check the file

Upload the PDF, exactly as received:

• Signature: Valid and Unchanged since [name] signed it: the signed content has not changed.
• Changes after signing: listed in plain words, with Compare the changed pages and Download the version that was signed. A changed page on a bank guarantee, tender or contract is a warning sign.
• No digital signature found: the signature and stamp are pictures. Common and not necessarily a problem; go to Step 3.

Step 2: check the issuer

In Certificate details:

• Issued by: the certification service provider. Where you want the clearest case for an advanced electronic signature under the ETO, look for an ECAC-accredited provider; the ECAC publishes information about accredited providers.
• Certificate chain: from the signer through the provider's certification authority to its root.
• Self-signed certificates prove nothing about identity.
• Revocation: Revoked is a red flag.
• Trust: Not trusted may appear because the provider's root is not on this service's list, and Adobe may show "validity unknown" for the same reason. See Why Adobe says “Signature validity is unknown”.

Many signatures you encounter in Pakistan (from international e-signature platforms or foreign certificate authorities) are perfectly intact but not from an accredited Pakistani provider. They can still be good evidence; whether they attract the ordinance's presumptions for advanced signatures depends on how they were made, and is ultimately for a court to decide.

Step 3: verify with the issuing body

Many official documents in Pakistan are verified online: certificates, registrations and tax documents often carry a QR code or reference number checked on the issuing body's own website, and some registers can be searched directly.

• Scan the QR code, then check the address it opens. It must be the issuing body's official domain.
• Compare every detail with the document.
• Contact the issuing body through details you found yourself if there is no online check.

See How to verify a government certificate or university degree PDF.

Common real-life situations

A signed contract from a business partner

Check integrity and changes after signing. If the signature is a picture and the contract matters, ask for a certificate-based signature or use an e-signature platform with an audit trail.

A bank guarantee or letter as a PDF

Check the file, then confirm with the issuing bank through its official channels. Banks commonly have their own verification procedures for guarantees.

"The PDF shows a signature, but the checker finds none"

It was scanned, printed to PDF or re-saved. Ask for the original.

What our checker does and does not tell you

Verify PDF Signature reports integrity, changes after signing, the certificate and chain, revocation, timestamps and whether long-term validation data is present, with a downloadable PDF report. It does not determine whether a provider is ECAC-accredited or whether a signature qualifies as advanced under the ETO.