How To Digitally Sign A PDF With A Legally Valid Signature
How To Digitally Sign A PDF With A Legally Valid Signature
Signing documents digitally comes with many advantages - one standout benefit is enhanced security. Digital identity fraud is a major concern in the European Union, with a 2022 report finding that 28 million EU citizens have lost an estimated €1 billion as a result of impersonation fraud between 2017 and 2019.
From a business standpoint, the benefits of using electronic signatures include saving time, added convenience, legal compliance and cost savings. As such, there is a robust case for understanding how to digitally sign a PDF. Herein we explain the process in simple, actionable steps for connecting your electronic signature to a PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
Set up your electronic signature
There are three different types of electronic signatures, with varying levels of assurance, as set out by the EU’s electronic identification and trust services (eIDAS) regulation. They are:
| Type of eSignature | Explanation |
Simple Electronic Signature (SES) | Use this to show confirmation or acceptance of something when it is not essential to verify the identity of the person signing. This can be as basic as an ‘I Agree’ button and is not secure. |
Advanced Electronic Signature (AES) | An AES allows you to check, but not verify, the identity of the signing party. This makes it more secure than an SES, and you must use a Secure Signature Creation Device (SSCD) to be able to accept AES on your documentation. The SSCD can be any hardware or software, such as a smart card or cryptographic signer that meets the requirements of eIDAS. |
Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) | The most secure type of electronic signature, which ensures the same level of assurance as a traditional pen signature. Signers must provide certain verification methods, such as taking part in a remote meeting, as well as using multi-factor authentication.
It is so secure that the burden of proof that a signature is not valid lies with the disruptor, rather than the party that requested the signature, as with SES and AES.
Organizations must use a Qualified Signature Creation Device (QSCD) to be able to accept these types of signatures. |
The steps to gaining a QES are:
1. Search the European Trusted List Browser database of Qualified Trust Service Providers (QTSPs) to obtain the services of a provider to facilitate your QES.
2. Prove your identity using a recognized digital certificate, such as a passport. The QTSP can help you with this.
3. Sign a document, providing your QES has been generated within a QSCD and your identity is present within the qualified digital certificate.
To provide the ability to sign documents online for customers, you can employ electronic signature solutions like Entrust Signhost . From a user’s point of view, they will have access to apps such as itsme and ZealiD to create QESs after going through a one-time identification process.
Add your qualified electronic signature to Adobe Acrobat Pro
The instructions provided are generally applicable to Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Pro, including several recent versions. Adobe tends to maintain consistency in its features across different versions, but the exact steps and interface elements may slightly vary.
Note: The QES is referred to as a certificate by Adobe. Signing with a QES ensures that your signature is legally binding. This guide assumes that you have already obtained a QES from a QTSP.
- Open Adobe Acrobat. Go to Edit > Preferences (on Windows) or Acrobat > Preferences (on Mac). Under Categories, choose Signatures.
2. Click on Identities & Trusted Certificates, and then click More.
3. In the Digital IDs section, select Add ID. Choose the option to create a new Digital ID, or import an existing one. Follow the prompts to create your ID. You'll need to enter your name, organizational unit, email and other relevant information.
4. Select the option to import your digital ID from a file, navigate to your QES file, and follow the prompts to complete the import.
5. After creating your Digital ID, you can set up how your electronic signature will look. You can include details like your name, company, position, and even an image of your handwritten signature.
6. Once your Digital ID and signature appearance are set up, save it. Your digital ID will now be available under Signatures to use for signing PDFs in Adobe Acrobat.
How to digitally sign a PDF using Adobe Acrobat and a legally binding signature
1. Open the PDF: Start Adobe Acrobat and open the PDF document you want to sign.
2. Access Tools: Go to the Tools pane on the left side of the screen.
3. Select Use a Certificate: Within the Tools pane, find and click on Use a Certificate.
4. Choose Digitally Sign: Click on Digitally Sign in the toolbar.
5. Create Signature Field: Use your mouse to draw a box in the document where you want your signature to appear. This defines the signature field.
6. Select Digital ID: If you already have a digital ID, select it from the list that appears. If not, Acrobat will prompt you to create a new digital ID.
7. Customize Your Signature: After selecting your digital ID, you'll be able to customize your signature's appearance. This might include choosing a signature style, adding a graphical representation of your signature, and specifying other signature properties. You can also lock the document after signing to ensure the details cannot be changed.
8. Sign the Document: Once you are satisfied with the appearance of your signature, click Sign. You will be asked to save your signed document.
Benefits of using an electronic signature for PDFs
Convenience
We live in a world where remote working is becoming more common for employees. In Ireland, more than 25% of employees said they “usually worked from home” in 2022, with 23.1% of Finnish workers being similarly remote from the office. In the UK, a quarter of the workforce worked from home at least some of the time in 2022. In addition, 13% only worked from home in the same year.
Where organizations require wet signatures for documents, this can cause an issue. It involves having to call all stakeholders into the office, sending out multiple paper copies or travelling around to each person’s home. Even in the least inconvenient scenario, you might have to wait until the next time that person is in the office before being able to have the content of the document signed.
For companies working across Europe, or even the world, being able to implement legal signatures digitally is a game-changer.
Timesaving
Leading on from the previous point on convenience, the time a company saves by being able to receive instant, legally watertight signatures on contracts, agreements and other paperwork makes for a more efficient workflow.
You can onboard clients sooner and put in place actions that help you to build your business without having to wait for the mail to arrive every day, hoping that a signatory has replied.
Cost-effective
Using paper documents can be a costly activity. You have to print them, mail them and store them, all of which cause a strain on your resources.
By using a solution that works in the cloud, with the necessary security measures in place, you reduce your spending on paper, printer ink, postal charges and do not have to worry about how to accommodate a growing paper archive in your premises.
Enhanced security
Requiring stakeholders to sign documents using a QES is to arm yourself with the most stringent possible security. They undergo a digital identification process that ensures you know who you are dealing with and have the protection that, if they dispute they ever signed the document, the legal onus is on them to prove that.
In business, you need to know who you are entering into an agreement with, and an electronic signature on your PDF provides peace of mind.
Legal validity and compliance
By using a digital signature in the correct manner, you can make sure you comply with regulations in a host of jurisdictions around the world. In the EU, the eIDAS regulation sets out requirements for qualified electronic signatures, helping you understand what you need to do to stay in accordance with the law.
Environmentally friendly
Gathering electronic signatures on your PDF reduces your consumption of paper and negates the need for either party to travel to the other to ensure the document is signed. This reduces the carbon footprint of the process, which is good for the environment and helps you to improve your ESG standing.
FAQs
How Do I Verify the Authenticity of a Digital Signature?
- Open the document: Open the signed PDF in a software program that supports digital signature verification.
- Look for signature indicators: In the PDF, look for signature fields, often indicated by a signature icon or a highlighted area.
- Check signature properties: Right-click on the signature field and select ‘Signature Properties’ or a similar option.
- Review signature details: The signature properties window should display information about the signer, the date and time of the signature, and whether any changes have been made to the document after signing.
- Verify certificate status: Look for a section that indicates the status of the signer’s certificate. It should confirm whether the certificate is valid and trusted.
- Check for warnings: Be aware of any warnings about the signature, such as Validity Unknown or Signature not verified. These warnings indicate issues with validating the signature.
- Consult certificate authority: For further validation, you may consult the issuing certificate authority’s website or contact them directly.
Is PDF digital signature legal?
Electronic signatures are legal ways of signing documents such as PDFs. In the EU, only a qualified electronic signature (QES) is afforded the same status as a wet signature, so make sure you use this method for legally binding documentation.
How do I make a PDF signable?
Whichever PDF program you are running, there will be an option to make it signable. Using Adobe Acrobat, open the PDF, click the Fill and Sign option, add a recipient, create a signature field when prompted and send the form to the person you want to sign it.
Entrust Signhost
With Entrust Signhost, the process of signing documents with a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) becomes straightforward and reliable for both employees and customers.
Here's how Signhost simplifies the process of signing documents with a QES:
Signhost offers a user-friendly interface that guides users through the signing process step by step, eliminating the need for advanced technical knowledge.
As a Qualified Service Trust Provider of electronic signatures, Entrust guarantees that your signatures are legally binding and compliant with relevant regulations. By using Signhost, you can streamline your document signing process, efficiently signing contracts, agreements, and other essential documents.
Start for free with Entrust Signhost today and discover the ease and security of signing documents with a Qualified Electronic Signature.
References
- Electronic seal vs electronic signature
- The EIdas Regulation
*Disclaimer: This content does not constitute legal advice. The suitability, enforceability or admissibility of electronic documents will likely depend on many factors such as the country or state where you operate, the country or state where the electronic document will be distributed as well as the type of electronic document involved. Appropriate legal counsel should be consulted to analyze any potential legal implications and questions related to the use of electronic documents.