Signed PDFs & Certificates
Find a signed document, tell a finished one from one still in progress, and understand what the PDF and its Certificate of Completion contain.
Reviewed 2026-10-30 · Formesign guides
Quick Answer
Where do I find my signed PDF?
Open the form's SIGNED PDF tab. Each card is one signed document. It says 1 signed | 1 pending while signatures are outstanding, and Signed and completed when everyone has signed. Click the card to open the PDF. It contains the answers, each signer's signature, and a Certificate of Completion.
Every signed request becomes a PDF in the form's SIGNED PDF tab.
Read the card
| The card says | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1 signed | 1 pending | Formesign has started the document, and someone still has to sign |
| Signed and completed | Everyone required has signed. This is your final copy |
A card can appear before signing finishes
The card shows up after the first signature, so check that it says Signed and completed before you treat the file as final.
Click the card to open the PDF, or use its three dots for Details, Activity, and Rename.
What's in the PDF
The PDF has three parts:
1. The answers. Your business name, the response number, the date, and every answer.
2. A block for each signer. Their name, email, signature, and the time they signed.
3. The Certificate of Completion. The last page summarizes the signing.
| On the certificate | What it means |
|---|---|
| Envelope ID | The document's unique reference, printed on every page |
| Security level | How the signer reached the document. For example, Anonymous for a signer on a shared link, and Email for a signer invited by email |
| IP address | The network address they signed from |
| Signed | The date and time, in GMT |
The signature stamp reads Formesigned by: with a unique code beneath it.
Certificate layout can vary
Some forms and older documents present the certificate differently, including as a separate Certificate.pdf. Check the file for your own form.
File names
Files are named with the submission number, the respondent's name, the envelope ID, and the document type:
PF000001 - Alex Example - 59f4f9af5c32b9ea5eb749977defe407 - Signed Document.pdf
The name comes from your respondent fields. Use Rename on the card's menu to change one.
Keep the original
Keep the PDF exactly as you received it. Printing it to a new PDF, editing it, or merging it with other files changes its contents, and verification will report it as modified.
If a PDF is missing
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Is the form set up for signatures? | Without a signature field, there's no signed document |
| Did someone actually submit? | A signer who opened the form and left doesn't create one |
| Are you on the right form? | A copy has its own documents |