How to Electronically Sign a PDF

How to electronically sign a PDF

1. Open the PDF in the editor above. Drop the file on the box or click it to browse.
2. Create your signature. Draw it or type your name in a handwriting style, then click Use This Signature. To use a photo of the signature you write on paper, choose Add Photo in the next step.
3. Click the signature line. Drag the signature to move it and use the corner handle to resize it.
4. Add the date with Add Date, and initials or text if the form asks for them.
5. Download with Confirm & Download Signed PDF. You get a new file; the original stays unchanged. Free to try. Downloading the signed PDF needs a plan: €2.99 a month or €24.99 a year, cancel anytime.

Tips for each type of signature and fixes for common problems are in the guide on how to add a signature to a PDF. The editor also works in phone browsers; see signing a PDF on your phone.

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What counts as an electronic signature

US federal law defines an electronic signature as “an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record” (ESIGN Act, 15 U.S.C. § 7006(5)). The definition turns on intent. If a signature is ever questioned, three things generally matter:

• Intent. You meant to sign. Putting your signature on the line of a document you have read generally shows that.
• A link to you. Under the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), a signature is attributed to you if it was your act, which can be shown in any manner (UETA § 9). In everyday use, the email account you sent the signed file from can help show that.
• A record that can be kept. Where the law requires a record in writing, an electronic one may be denied legal effect if it cannot be kept and accurately reproduced later (15 U.S.C. § 7001(e)). A saved PDF generally meets that.

So a drawn signature, a typed name or an image of your handwritten signature can all qualify.

Will an electronically signed PDF be accepted?

Legally, in most cases, yes. A short summary by region; the linked pages have the detail.

United States

In transactions affecting interstate or foreign commerce, the ESIGN Act says a signature, contract or other record may not be denied legal effect, validity or enforceability solely because it is electronic (15 U.S.C. § 7001(a)). As of 2026, UETA, which says much the same under state law, is in force in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands; New York has its own Electronic Signatures and Records Act instead. ESIGN and UETA generally do not make anyone accept an e-signature (15 U.S.C. § 7001(b)(2); UETA § 5), so the person who asked for your signature can still ask for ink. E-signature law in the US →

European Union

Under the eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, Article 25(1), an electronic signature may not be denied legal effect or refused as evidence only because it is electronic. Article 25(2) guarantees the same legal effect as a handwritten signature only for a qualified electronic signature, which needs a qualified certificate. SigPDF makes a simple electronic signature: generally fine for ordinary contracts and forms, but not where national law requires a qualified signature or ink. E-signature law in the EU →

United Kingdom

Section 7 of the Electronic Communications Act 2000 makes electronic signatures admissible in evidence. In its 2019 report Electronic execution of documents, the Law Commission of England and Wales concluded that an electronic signature is capable of executing a document, deeds included, if the signer intends to authenticate it and any formalities, such as a witness, are met. E-signature law in the UK →

This is general information, not legal advice. If a lot depends on the document, ask the other party what they accept or check with a lawyer.

When an e-signature is not enough

• Documents the law excludes. The ESIGN Act does not apply to wills, codicils and testamentary trusts; adoption, divorce and other family-law matters; court orders and official court documents; and certain notices, such as utility shut-offs, foreclosure or eviction from a primary residence, cancellation of health or life insurance, and product recalls (15 U.S.C. § 7003). State and court rules govern these instead, and they may require ink.
• Documents that need a notary or a witness. An affidavit, a power of attorney or a UK deed often does. Many US states allow remote online notarization, but that runs through the notary's own platform; signing the PDF on your own does not replace it. Rules vary by state and country.
• A recipient who asks for a digital signature or digital ID. Some agencies, banks and companies require a certificate-based signature that proves who signed and that the file has not changed. SigPDF does not make those; it places a visible signature. See how to digitally sign a PDF.
• A document that sets its own rules. If it says it must be signed in ink or through a set process, follow that.

Keep a record

• Keep the signed PDF. The editor saves it as a new file with “-signed” in the name, so you still have the unsigned original.
• Send it the way the other party asked. If you email it, keep the sent email: it shows when you sent the file and from which address.
• Do not edit the PDF after signing. If something has to change, agree on the change, get a new PDF and sign that one.

Electronic signature vs. digital signature

An electronic signature is any electronic sign that you agree to a document. A digital signature is one kind of electronic signature that uses a certificate and cryptography to show who signed and that the file has not changed since. SigPDF makes electronic signatures, not digital ones. The full comparison: electronic signature vs. digital signature.