Document Signing Certificates

Easily Sign and Secure Documents

Whether you manage document workflows across a global enterprise or sign contracts as an independent professional, secure digital signatures help protect your work. Sectigo Document Signing Certificates enable verified digital signing, helping prevent tampering and unauthorized changes.

A digital signature uses cryptography to verify the identity of the signer and protect the integrity of a digital document or message. Digital signature certificates give recipients confidence that the signed files come from a validated source and remain unaltered, reinforcing authenticity and trust in every transaction.

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100M
certificates issued worldwide
65%
of Fortune 1000

companies use Sectigo

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Document Signing Enterprise

Enterprise-grade document signing for organizations and teams

Choose Document Signing Enterprise if:

You are signing documents on behalf of an organization, not just yourself
Your company needs centralized control over who can sign and how certificates are issued
Multiple people or departments sign documents under a shared organizational identity
You operate in a regulated or audited environment where long‑term compliance matters
You want document signing that fits into existing IT, security, or PKI workflows
Your organization is responsible for managing risk, policy, and continuity across signers

New product!

Document Signing Professional

Professional-grade signing trust — built for individuals, not IT teams

Choose Document Signing Professional if:

You sign documents under your own name, not a company brand
Your personal reputation and credibility travel with every document you send
Clients, partners, or regulators must be able to clearly verify who you are
You don’t have (or want) an IT team, admin, or enterprise setup
You need stronger proof than an email‑based e‑signature can provide
You want documents that can stand up to scrutiny or dispute without extra explanation

Which document signing product is right for you?

Capability	Document Signing Enterprise	Document Signing Professional
Primary user	Organizations & teams	Independent professionals
Identity model	Organizational or individual (managed)	Individual professional identity
Setup	Often IT-assisted	Self-service
PKI Infrastructure	Required or integrated	Not required
Signing control	Centrally managed	Sole signer control
Adobe & Microsoft trust
Tamper-evident integrity
Compliance & non-repudiation

Key Information on Document Signing Certificates

These certificates enable individuals and organizations (depending on the type purchased) to digitally sign PDF documents while complying with the U.S. Federal ESIGN Act and applicable international laws. The certificate verifies the publisher's identity and authenticity of the document while preventing tampering.

Core Features of Document Signing Certificates

Both Document Signing Enterprise and Document Signing Professional are built on the same high‑assurance PKI foundation and provide the same core cryptographic protections.

All Sectigo Document Signing Certificates include:

Cryptographic digital signatures that verify signer identity and document integrity
Tamper‑evident protection that invalidates the signature if a document is modified
Compatible with trusted timestamping for long-term document validation
Support for long‑term authenticity and non‑repudiation
Compatibility with trusted platforms such as Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Office
Unlimited document signatures during the certificate term
1‑, 2‑, or 3‑year certificate validity options
Secure delivery on FIPS‑compliant hardware tokens
Globally trusted digital signatures recognized by leading document platforms
24/7 expert support

In both products, anyone receiving a signed document can independently verify:

Who signed the document
When it was signed
That it has not been altered

The main difference is in who the certificate is designed for and how it’s managed.

Supported File Formats

Document Signing Certificates can be used on any platform that trusts the Sectigo root certificate. Most PDF file formats are supported, including Adobe PDF.

Sectigo Document Signing Certificates can be ordered for any valid email address. There are two types of certificates:

The certificate in the name of an individual
The certificate in the name of an organization

Both types come with an unlimited number of signatures and the option of 1, 2, or 3 year validation term.

Prior to Placing an Order

Validation is an important part of the certificate issuing process. As such, Sectigo has adopted stringent validation policies and procedures to strengthen the security of certificate operations and validation processes.

Sectigo verifies the following:

The identity of the applicant
The identity and address of the entity to confirm its physical existence
That the entity has authorized the issuance of the certificate

Sectigo handles the validation process, but you must respond to emails, follow the provided instructions, and submit the required documents to complete verification.

Adobe Certificates

Adobe Document Signing Certificates offered by Sectigo enable organizations to secure Adobe Acrobat documents with digital signatures and digital authentication. Certification originates from the Adobe Certified Document Services (CDS) or the Certificate Authorities that are members of the Adobe Approved Trust List (AATL). Certification attests that the signer has been verified by Adobe for compliance with its requirements and that the certificate is on protected hardware for long-term validity.

Timeframe to Receive an Adobe Certificate

Sectigo aims to promptly complete your order while adhering to validation standards. To ensure the integrity of the certificate, Sectigo will not issue a document signing certificate that has not passed validation.

After you have submitted the required documents, Sectigo will validate your information and identity. The validation process typically takes 1-5 business days and you will be notified by email when the validation process is complete. Once the certificate is issued, it will be installed on the USB token and mailed to you. The arrival time depends on your location and shipping methods. You will receive tracking information via email.

Save Time and Money with a Multi-Year Certificate

Digitally signing secure documents just got easier. With coverage ranging from 1-3 years, Sectigo's multi-year plans provide instant savings and consistent coverage in a simplified, long-term solution. Document signing certificates from Sectigo guarantee you get our best price, locked in for 3 years, keeping your workflows streamlined and efficient.

Intuitive dashboard

In our customer dashboard, you'll be able to view all products you have with Sectigo, view their lifecycle status, issue or reissue, and renew expiring certificates, saving you time and fear that an expired certificate may down your site at an unexpected time.

FAQs

Have another question?

Reach us by chat in the lower-right corner.

What is a Document Signing Certificate?

Document signing certificates, also known as digital signature certificates, are PKI-based digital certificates that allow individuals and organizations to apply secure digital signatures to documents that verify identity and protect document integrity. This ensures the document cannot be altered without detection and provides cryptographic proof of who signed it.

Is a document signing certificate better than a simple e-signature tool for independent professionals?

Most e-signature tools authenticate by email, not by verified identity. As document fraud increases and compliance expectations rise, professionals are expected to provide stronger, identity-backed proof of document signing. A simple email-based click is often no longer sufficient.

Sectigo Document Signing Professional gives independent professionals a cryptographically verified signature, displaying your confirmed identity (accomplished through face-to-face verification) in places like Adobe and Microsoft Office, with tamper-evident protection built in. No enterprise setup required.

What are Acceptable Proofs of Identity for Issuance?

The following documents are accepted for the purpose of validation for a Sectigo Document Signing Certificate:
A. One of the following valid government-issued forms of photo ID:

A driver's license
A passport
A personal identification card
A military ID
A concealed weapons permit

B. One of the following valid documents issued by a financial institution:

A credit card, provided it contains an expiration date and has not expired
A debit card, provided it contains an expiration date and has not expired
A mortgage statement from a recognizable lender that is less than six months old
A bank statement from a regulated financial institution that is less than six
months old

The above documents must contain the contact’s name.

C. One of the following valid documents issued by a non-financial institution:

Recent original utility bill or certificate from a utility company confirming the
arrangements to pay for the services at a fixed address (a gas bill, water bill,
power bill)
Recent original landline phone bill showing contact’s name, address and phone
number (not a mobile/cellular telephone bill)
A copy of a statement for a payment of a lease, provided the statement is dated
within the past six months
A certified copy of a birth certificate
A local authority tax bill for the past year
A certified copy of a court order, such as a divorce certificate, annulment papers,
or adoption papers

Can I Use an SSL Certificate for Document Signing?

No, you cannot use an SSL certificate to apply digital signatures to documents. Similarly, a code signing certificate cannot be used for PDFs and other documents. Digital signatures require a certificate designed specifically for signing documents and verifying the signer’s identity.

How are Certificates Delivered?

Sectigo Document Signing Certificates are provided on secure USB tokens that are certified to FIPS 140-2 level 2 or greater. This level of security prevents unauthorized access to or use of the private keys on the certificate. Once the certificate request validation process is completed, the USB token will be mailed to you and you will receive an access PIN via email.

Customers may also remotely provision their own FIPS-compliant hardware token or HSM. This works the same way as the key attestation process used for Code Signing certificates. Contact our sales team to learn more.

Do You Offer Large Scale Solutions?

Enterprise solutions for medium to large-sized businesses that integrate document and PDF signing certificates with enterprise document management systems are available. Reach out to our sales team today for more information.