What you do
- Sign in with your email. SignClearly sends you a sign-in link, so there is no password to remember.
- Upload the PDF. Files can be up to 20 MB and 100 pages. The server checks the file and records its SHA-256 fingerprint before anything else happens.
- Place the fields: signature, date and full name. Drag them onto the pages and resize them with a mouse or a finger. The date and the full name are filled in at the moment of signing.
- Choose who signs. Enter one recipient's email address, or choose Me to sign the document yourself in your account.
- Set the details: how long the link works (1 to 30 days, 7 by default), a message for the recipient and, if you want, an access code.
- Review and send. The last step shows the recipient, the fields and how many credits sending uses. SignClearly emails the link.
When it matters who signs, choose the advanced electronic signature (AES) on the recipient step. The recipient then checks an ID document before signing. How the ID check works.
An access code is a second lock on the link. Share it by phone or chat, not in the same email, so that a forwarded email alone does not open the document. More about access codes.
What the recipient does
The recipient needs a browser on a phone or a computer. They do not create an account and do not install anything. You can go through their steps yourself in the demo.
- Open the link from the email. If you set an access code, they enter it first. After five wrong attempts the link locks.
- Agree to sign electronically. The consent text names the kind of signature and lists what is recorded.
- Draw the signature with a finger, a stylus or a mouse.
- Review the final PDF exactly as it will be signed, with the certificate page at the end.
- Confirm the intent to sign, and sign. They can also decline and give a reason.
If you required an ID check, it comes before signing: the recipient shows an ID document and takes a selfie with a third-party identity service. The name on the ID must match the name you entered, or they cannot sign.
When they sign, their browser creates a one-time key and signs the file with it. SignClearly issues a certificate for that key. What the digital signature adds.
After signing
- The signature and the field values are placed on your original pages, and a certificate page is added at the end.
- You both get an email. The signer can download their copy from a link that works for 7 days.
- You download the signed PDF, and the original if you need it, from the document page in your account.
- The event log on the document page shows each step with its time and IP address. What the log records.
The file also carries the signer's digital signature and the SignClearly seal. Adobe Acrobat shows whether anything in the file changed after signing. How to check a signed PDF.
If plans change
- The recipient lost the email: resend the invitation. It does not use a credit.
- You sent the wrong file or to the wrong person: revoke the link. It stops working at once.
- The link expired, or the recipient declined: make a copy of the document, fix what you need and send it again.
When a document closes without a signature, its credits go back to your balance. How credits work.
Signing your own document
Choose Me on the recipient step. The signing page opens in your account and no email is sent. You go through the same steps as a recipient: consent, signature, review and intent. A document you sign yourself is always a simple electronic signature (SES).