How to sign a PDF online: free, no printer, no account

Sign a PDF in four steps

The whole flow takes less than a minute and works in any browser, phone included.

• Upload the PDF: pick a file, photograph the paper document or paste a link to a PDF.
• Tap the spot: signhere detects signature lines, date and place fields automatically and marks them. You can also pick any spot yourself.
• Sign: draw with your finger, a stylus or the mouse. Place and date can be filled in at the same time.
• Save the finished PDF: download it, email it or forward it. The signature is embedded permanently in the page.

Sign it yourself or get someone else to sign

If someone else needs to sign, you upload the PDF and get a link. Send it by WhatsApp, SMS or email. The other person opens the link, signs on their phone, and the finished PDF lands in your inbox automatically. For rental agreements, powers of attorney or consent forms this is the fastest route because nobody has to install anything or create an account.

What happens to the document

The PDF is stored encrypted in EU data centres and kept only as long as the signature needs it. Unsigned documents are deleted after seven days, signed ones without an account after 24 hours (with Pro after a year), documents with an ID copy after seven days. Signing never needs an account or a profile. The signature itself is written into the PDF page as an image, not as an attachment or a layer that can be removed again.

Is a signature made this way enough?

signhere creates a simple electronic signature under the EU eIDAS regulation, which the UK kept in its own law after Brexit and which most countries mirror in some form. For most everyday documents that is enough: powers of attorney, receipts, consent forms, quotes, reports, rental agreements and most contracts between people and businesses. Only where the law explicitly requires a handwritten or qualified signature, such as some employment terminations in Germany or guarantees, do you need a qualified signature or paper. The guide on legal validity goes into detail.

Sign a PDF on iPhone, Android or desktop

On a phone you draw the signature with your finger, which usually gives the most natural result. On a tablet the stylus works. On a desktop you sign with the mouse or trackpad, or you upload the PDF on the desktop and open the link on your phone. A photo of a signature on paper is not needed: drawing is faster and looks better.

If the PDF has form fields

Many forms from authorities, insurers or landlords have fillable fields. signhere recognises them: tap a field, type the text and it is written into the form in the right font size. Place and date are suggested. At the end the form is flattened so nothing can be changed afterwards.

A signing certificate as evidence

If you want to prove when and how a document was signed, request a signing certificate when you upload. It is attached as the last page and lists the time, a hashed IP address, the browser string and the document checksum. For powers of attorney and pick-ups you can additionally request an ID copy, which the signer takes with their camera on the spot.

Frequently asked questions