Sign a PDF online

Is a drawn or typed signature legally binding?

In most everyday cases, yes: a drawn, typed or uploaded signature is a simple electronic signature, which the US ESIGN Act and the EU eIDAS regulation both recognise. eIDAS states that an electronic signature cannot be denied legal effect only because it is electronic. What matters is that the signer intended to sign and that the parties can show who agreed to what.

eIDAS defines three levels: simple, advanced and qualified. Only a qualified electronic signature, created with a certificate from a qualified trust service provider, is automatically equivalent to a handwritten signature across the EU. This tool produces the simple kind. It suits job offers, tenancy paperwork, NDAs, supplier forms and permission slips, while public tenders, some notarial deeds and certain government filings demand the qualified kind.

Which way of creating a signature should I choose?

Draw when you have a touch screen or stylus, type when you are on a desktop with only a mouse, and upload when the recipient expects the signature to match your handwritten one exactly. All three end up as the same thing in the saved file: a transparent image placed on the page. The table compares them, and you can keep one saved signature and one set of initials in the browser.

What is the difference between an electronic and a digital signature?

An electronic signature is any mark showing that you agreed to a document, while a digital signature is a cryptographic seal that proves who signed and reveals later changes. This tool creates the first kind: a visible signature on the page. A digital signature is stored in a dedicated signature field described in ISO 32000-2 and needs a certificate issued by a trust provider.

If a recipient explicitly asks for a certificate-based, advanced or qualified signature, use the signing service they name, because a visual signature will be rejected. For everything else, a visible signature with the date next to it is what the other party expects. Signing the same file several times is fine: open the saved copy again and add the next signature or set of initials.

Is it safe to sign confidential documents here?

Yes, because the PDF is read, signed and saved inside your browser tab and is never sent to a server. Pages are displayed with pdf.js, and the signature is written into the file by code running on your device, so the tool keeps working even if the connection drops after the page has loaded.

If Remember is ticked, your signature and initials are kept in this browser's local storage only, so the next document takes one tap. Use Forget in the signature window to delete them, or clear your browser data. On a shared or public computer, untick Remember before placing the signature so that nothing is left behind for the next user.

How do I make a signed PDF look professional?

Size the signature to roughly the height of two lines of text and place it directly on the signature line. Oversized signatures look careless, and blue ink makes it obvious to the reader which parts were signed. Add the date with the Date button rather than typing it, so the format stays consistent, and use Initials on every page when a contract asks for them.

If the document has real form fields, complete them first with Fill PDF Form, then sign here. Printing a document to sign it and scanning it back produces blurry, crooked pages, whereas signing the PDF directly keeps the original quality. When everyone has signed, Flatten PDF locks any remaining fields into the page.