Sign a contract online: instructions for use

Getting a contract signed online takes a few minutes once the workflow is in place. Most of the time is spent before sending — in preparing the document and in two decisions that determine how solid the commitment will be: the signature level chosen and the order in which the parties sign. This article follows these steps in the order in which they arise.

Step 1: prepare the document

A contract sent for signature can no longer be corrected. Three checks are worth making before sending:

• The parties are fully identified: name, legal form, registered office, registration number, and the capacity of the representative signing. A signature by someone without authority is the flaw that is hardest to fix afterwards.
• The appendices are included in the document, rather than sent separately. General terms sent in a separate email do not benefit from the same proof of acceptance.
• The fields to be completed are identified: date, amount, handwritten mentions where required by law.

If you're starting from a blank page, a contract template avoids the most common omissions. For a contract requiring clauses specific to your business, the contract generator builds the document from your parameters.

Step 2: choose the signature level

The European regulation distinguishes three levels, and the choice is a trade-off between friction and evidentiary strength.

The simple electronic signature suits the vast majority of commercial contracts: accepted quotes, purchase orders, service agreements, employment contracts. It is legally valid and admissible in court.

The higher levels add stronger identification of the signer — identity verification, certificate. They don't add validity, which is already established, but provide a more comfortable position if the signature is contested.

The qualified electronic signature — whose workings are detailed on our dedicated page on the qualified electronic signature — is the only one that benefits from a presumption of reliability: it is up to whoever disputes it to prove otherwise. It is warranted for high-stakes acts or when required by a specific rule.

The practical rule is to match the level to the actual risk of dispute for the document concerned, rather than always choosing the highest one: each additional notch adds friction for the signer, and therefore delay and drop-off.

Step 3: organize the signers

Two parameters are set when sending and determine how long the process takes.

The order. In sequence, each signer receives the document after the previous one — useful when an internal check must precede the customer's signature. In parallel, everyone receives it at the same time, which is faster but allows no intermediate validation.

Reminders. This is the factor that determines the actual turnaround time. A contract without automatic reminders relies on someone manually following up, with all the oversights that entails. Reminders scheduled at regular intervals eliminate this work and shorten the cycle by several days.

Step 4: sign and retrieve the proof

The signer receives a link, opens the document and signs from their browser or phone, without creating an account. This lack of friction matters: every extra step causes signatures to be lost.

What is produced at this moment matters more than the visible signature. The evidence file includes the signer's verified identity according to the level chosen, the timestamp of each event, the connection address, and a fingerprint of the document proving it has not been altered since. It is this whole set that responds to a dispute, as detailed in our article on evidentiary value in the event of a dispute.

Step 5: store

A commercial contract is kept for several years, and some corporate documents for much longer. Storage must guarantee integrity throughout that entire period, which is what distinguishes evidentiary archiving from simple file storage — a function provided by the digital vault.

One organizational point avoids a lot of searching: keep the contract and its evidence file together. Finding a signed contract without its event log leaves you unprotected in the face of a dispute over the date or the signer's identity.

Usage scenarios

Service agreement with a new client. Simple electronic signature, parallel sending, automatic reminders. The contract goes out on the day of the verbal agreement rather than the following week, which protects as much as it speeds things up.

Employment contract. A simple electronic signature is enough, but the order matters: the employer signs first, then the employee, with long-term storage given the statute-of-limitations periods in employment matters.

High-stakes act. Assignment, guarantee commitment, power to dispose of assets: enhanced identification, or even a qualified electronic signature. The extra cost and friction are justified by the amount at stake and by any requirement from the receiving third party.

Frequently asked questions

Does a contract signed online have the same value as a paper contract? Yes. The electronic document has the same evidentiary force provided the signer can be identified and the document is created and stored under conditions guaranteeing its integrity.

Does the signer need to create an account? No. They receive a link, open the document and sign from their browser or phone.

Which signature level should be chosen? The level suited to the document's risk of dispute. The simple electronic signature is sufficient for the vast majority of commercial contracts; the higher levels are reserved for high-stakes acts.

Can several people sign? Yes, either in sequence or in parallel. Sequential signing allows for an internal validation step before sending to the customer.

What happens if the signer disputes it? The evidence file — identity, timestamp, event log, document integrity — is what allows a response. Its strength depends on the signature level chosen.

How long must a signed contract be kept? At least the applicable statute-of-limitations period, often five years for commercial matters and longer for employment matters. Storage must guarantee integrity throughout that entire period.

Going further

The simplest approach is to test the process on a real document:

1. Choose a ready-to-sign template matching your need, or generate a custom document.
2. Follow the detailed step-by-step process on the how to sign.
3. Compare the turnaround time achieved with that of your current process — this is the metric that matters, more than the unit cost, as shown in our comparison of cost versus paper.

The pricing scales with sending volume, with free sends every month. To automate from a business tool, the API and existing integrations eliminate re-keying data.