What are digital signatures & how do they work? Go to What are digital signatures & how do they work?
A digital signature is a secure way to verify who...
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.
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
Document Signing for HSM
Enterprise signing on your own hardware
Choose Document Signing for HSM if:
- Your organization already manages a hardware security module for key storage
- You need signing keys to live in your own HSM rather than on a shipped USB token
- You're signing at scale across automated or centralized document workflows
- Your compliance or security policy requires customer-controlled key custody
- You want the same identity-verified, tamper-evident signing as our standard Document Signing Certificates
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 | | |
Close the trust gap in digital signatures
Tamper-evident protection
The signature is invalidated if the document is modified.
Globally trusted
Recognized across platforms such as Microsoft 365 and Adobe Acrobat.
Unlimited signatures
Sign as many documents as you need during the certificate term.
Secure key storage
Delivered on FIPS-compliant hardware tokens.
Long term validation
Compatible with trusted timestamping and supports long-term authenticity and non-repudiation.
24/7 expert support
Help is available around the clock.
How does Sectigo document signing work?
01
Sign:
The signer’s private key creates a cryptographic signature over the document content.
02
Embed:
The signature and the Sectigo Document Signing certificate are embedded in the document.
03
Validate:
Recipients validate the signature using the public key in the certificate.
04
Confirm:
Validation confirms the signer’s identity and that the document hasn’t changed.
Make every seal verifiable, not just visible
Architects and engineers can digitally sign and seal drawings, reports and permit documents within their existing PDF workflow. Each signature is tied to a certificate issued in your name by a trusted Certificate Authority, and any change made after signing becomes visible. Sealing requirements vary by state, so check what applies where you’re licensed.
Use cases:
- Plan submissions
- Architectural drawings
- Construction plans
- Engineering reports
- Permit documents
- Public record documents
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
FAQs
Have another question?
Reach us by chat in the lower-right corner.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Yes. Sectigo offers Document Signing Certificates that can be provisioned to your own hardware security module instead of a shipped USB token, for organizations that already manage HSM infrastructure. Talk to an expert to learn more about eligibility and setup.
Sectigo currently supports document signing with Microsoft Azure Key Vault HSM, AWS CloudHSM, and Google Cloud KMS. Talk to an expert to confirm eligibility and setup requirements for your environment.
Related Resources
Digital signature legal requirements: When are they legally binding? Go to Digital signature legal requirements: When are they legally binding?
Digital signatures use PKI for secure, legal authentication worldwide, ensuring...
Want to sign documents on your own HSM?
Tell us which HSM or cloud environment you use and how your team signs today. A Sectigo specialist will confirm the right setup and provide the right solution.