How to Sign a Contract Online, Step by Step

Before you sign: lock the final version

Most contract disputes aren't about the signature. They're about which version was signed. Before anyone signs:

• Agree on the text. Finish the back-and-forth in Word or Google Docs, with tracked changes if you like.
• Fill in every blank: names, dates, amounts, addresses. A blank space after signing is an invitation to argue.
• Save it as a PDF. That's the version everyone signs. Starting from a template? See our independent contractor agreement or NDA.
• Decide who signs and in what order. For a company, check the person signing has authority to bind it.

If only you need to sign

Someone sent you a contract to sign and return:

1. Open Sign a PDF and upload the contract (a PDF, or a photo of the paper).
2. Choose “Just me” and tap “Add my signature.” Draw it with your finger or mouse.
3. Place it on the signature line. Add the date, your printed name, title, or initials on each page if the contract asks.
4. Tap “Finish,” download it and send it back.

Free, no account, no watermark. If they sent you a link from a signing service, just tap the link instead: you don't need an account with that service.

If the other side signs too

This is where an e-signature service earns its keep. Instead of emailing a PDF and waiting for a scan:

1. Upload the PDF at Sign a PDF and choose “Others and me” (or “Other people” if you aren't signing).
2. Tap “Mark where they sign” for each person and place the boxes. Add fields they must fill in: name, date, address, phone, initials, a checkbox, or a request to attach a document such as a copy of their ID or an insurance certificate.
3. Enter each signer's email or mobile number. Send by email, text message or WhatsApp, or copy the link.
4. They open the link and sign on their phone or computer. No account, nothing to install.
5. You get one email with the signed PDF and its certificate of completion once everyone has signed. If someone is slow, email reminders go out every two days, up to three times.

With MultiDocs, the free plan includes 15 signature requests a month and up to 20 signers per contract. Details: send a document for signature.

Signing order and several parties

You can have everyone sign at the same time, or in a set order. Order matters when, for example, a client should sign before your manager countersigns, or a tenant before the landlord. Each signer sees what the people before them have already filled in and completes only their own part. They don't see the other signers' email or phone number.

Is a contract signed online legally binding?

Yes. The federal rule is short:

“A contract relating to such transaction may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because an electronic signature or electronic record was used in its formation.”

15 U.S.C. § 7001(a)(2) · Official source

State law agrees. The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act has been adopted by 49 states, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; New York has its own equivalent law. The usual contract rules still apply: offer, acceptance, consideration, capacity, and in some cases a writing. An electronic signature satisfies the “signed writing” requirement. More in are electronic signatures legally binding? and, for consumer contracts, the consent rules in the ESIGN Act explained.

What proof to keep

If the other side ever says “that's not my signature” or “that's not what I signed,” you'll need to show:

• Who signed: the email address or phone number the personal link was sent to, plus the IP address, device and browser used.
• When: the date and time of opening and signing.
• What: that the document hasn't changed since. A SHA-256 fingerprint does this: change one comma and the fingerprint no longer matches.
• Intent: that the signer saw the document and chose to sign it electronically.

Every document signed with MultiDocs carries all of this on its last page, with a unique code for each signer, and can be checked at /verify. Download the signed PDF and keep it: we delete documents 30 days after completion.

Documents the ESIGN Act doesn't cover

The ESIGN Act (§ 7003) leaves out a short list: wills, codicils and testamentary trusts; adoption, divorce and other family law matters; court orders and official court documents; some UCC transactions; and certain notices such as utility shutoffs, foreclosure or eviction on a primary residence, and cancellation of health or life insurance. Some documents, like many real estate deeds, also need a notary. Full list in documents that can't be e-signed.

Common mistakes

• Signing a Word file that can still be edited. Sign the PDF.
• Pasting a signature image and emailing it, with no record of who did it.
• Forgetting initials on pages, or leaving the date blank.
• Each party signing a different copy. Use one document that collects every signature.
• Not keeping the signed copy. Store it with your records.