How to send a PDF for signature

Emailing a PDF and asking for it back signed works until it does not: the reply is a phone photo of a printout, one of three signers forgets, and later nobody can say who signed what, or when. Sending it for signature fixes the process, not just the signature.

Open Request SignaturesSend a PDF to others to sign

Step by step

  1. Upload the document

    Drop the PDF onto Request Signatures. Word files and images work too and are turned into PDFs first; several files go out together as one envelope. Up to 10 documents, 15 MB each.

  2. Add the people

    Under "Who needs to sign?", enter each person's full name and email address and choose a role: Signer, Approver, Witness, or Receives a copy. Leave "Sign in order" ticked if each person should be emailed only after the one before has signed; untick it to email everyone at once.

  3. Place the fields

    Choose a person under "Fields for", then click a field type (Signature, Initials, Name, Date signed, Text, Checkbox and more) and drag it into place. Every signer needs at least one Signature field, and "Initials on every page" saves placing them one at a time.

  4. Review and send

    Give the request a document title, add a message if you want one, and choose when the link expires (14 days unless you change it) and how often reminders go out. Send for signature asks you to sign in or create a free account at this point, because the request goes out in your name.

  5. Track it until it is done

    Sent for signature lists every request and where it has got to (emailed, opened, signed or declined) with buttons to send a reminder or cancel. When the last person signs, everyone receives the signed PDF with a certificate of completion.

What the people you send it to have to do

Very little. Each person gets a private link by email, needs no account and pays nothing. They fill in the highlighted boxes and press Finish and sign; a signature made once fills all of their other signature boxes. They can also decline, with a reason, which closes the request for everyone and tells you straight away.

What the finished file shows, and what it is not

The signed PDF comes with a certificate of completion listing who took part, when, and from which IP address, and it is sealed with a trusted timestamp so any later change shows. These are electronic signatures, not certificate-based digital signatures. If a document needs each person's own digital ID, each of them signs it with Digital Signature instead.

Common questions

Do the people I send it to need an account?

No. Signing costs nothing and needs no KovaPDF account. Only the sender needs a free account, and only at the moment of sending.

How many people can sign one document?

Up to 25 per request, counting everyone who signs, approves, witnesses or only receives a copy. You can send up to 25 requests in any 24 hours.

Can I stop the wrong person opening the link?

Yes. Tick Access codes and give a signer a code of 4 to 12 letters or digits. It is never emailed (you tell them yourself, by phone or message) and they must type it before the document opens.

What if someone never signs?

Automatic reminders go out on the schedule you chose, and you can send one yourself from Sent for signature. If the link expires or you cancel the request, its links stop working.

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