Signing example
Sign an NDA online
To sign an NDA online you upload the finished PDF, place fields for each party and send one link to each signer. This page shows exactly that, on the mutual NDA between Sable Robotics and Northwind Components from the documents examples: initials on the first page, a signature block for each company on the second, and a six digit emailed code before either side can open it.
The document itself is written out in full on its own page:read the wording there. This page is only about signing it.
Who signs what
- For Sable Robotics Pty Ltd, signed first
- Initials on page 1 · Signature block: Name, Title, Company, Date · Verified by emailed one-time code
- For Northwind Components Ltd, signed second
- Initials on page 1 · Signature block: Name, Title, Company, Date · Verified by emailed one-time code
The signing journey
Step 1
The sender prepares one envelope
The two page NDA is uploaded, both signers are added with Sign in order on, and four fields are placed: an initials spot on page 1 and a signature block on page 2 for each company. Sable is first in the order, so only Freya Lindqvist is invited when Send is pressed.
Step 2
Sable signs with a one-time code
The emailed link opens a verification card, not the document. Freya requests the six digit code, enters it within its ten minute life, accepts the consent statement, and one drawn signature fills both her spots. The header reads Signature 1 of 2 and walks her from the initials to the block.
Step 3
She types the block lines, not the date
The block prints FOR SABLE ROBOTICS PTY LTD above four lines. Name arrives from the recipient record, she types her title and company, and the Date line is stamped from the moment she submits. Nobody types a date on this envelope.
Step 4
Northwind is invited only now
Because Sign in order is on, Owen Barraclough's invitation goes out only after Sable's signature lands. He repeats the same journey with his own code and signs a page that already carries the other side's stamped block.
Step 5
Both get the same certified file
The completion email goes to both signers and the sender with the certified PDF attached. The certificate is a separate download: two signer entries reading Email link + emailed one-time code, over an event log from Envelope created to the second Signed.
What the signed PDF and certificate show
The signed NDA carries initials near the foot of page 1 and two completed blocks on page 2, each with the drawn signature, the typed title and company, and a stamped date reading Sep 2, 2026. The certificate lists the envelope id, both document hashes, and fifteen logged events for this envelope: created, attached, sent, then an invitation, opened link, code sent, identity verified, viewed and signed for each company in turn. The algorithm line reads PAdES-SHA256-DocMDP, which also tells you no RFC 3161 timestamp was attached.
How to adapt this envelope
For a one way NDA keep the same field layout and simply reorder so the receiving party signs first, or turn Sign in order off if nobody needs to see the counterpart before signing. A third party joins as a third recipient with its own initials spot and block, up to the envelope limit of 25 recipients and 500 fields. What you cannot do is add someone after sending: withdraw the envelope and send a fresh one instead.
Who this flow suits
Any agreement where both companies want a mark on the substance page as well as the execution page. The whole exchange took under four minutes of signer time, and neither signer needed an account, only the emailed link and the code that followed it.
What makes this signing flow work
Initials and a block from one drawing
Each signer draws once. The portal fills the page 1 initials spot and the page 2 signature block from that single drawing, so a two spot envelope does not mean two drawings, and the marks on both pages hash back to the same signature image.
Order means nobody signs an unsigned counterpart
With the Sign in order switch on, Northwind cannot even open the document until Sable has signed. The second signer always executes a copy that already carries the first block, which is how NDA counterparts should meet.
The code ties each signature to a mailbox
Both signers verified with a six digit emailed code that expires in ten minutes. The certificate prints Email link + emailed one-time code beside each name, with the IP address and consent timestamp, so the evidence is more than a clicked link.
Questions people ask
Do both parties have to sign at the same time?
No. This envelope enforces a sequence: the second company is not even invited until the first has signed. If the order does not matter to you, turn the Sign in order switch off and both invitations go out at once, which is how the residential lease example runs.
Can the second signer see the first signature?
Yes. The document the second signer opens is the stamped copy, so Northwind saw Sable's completed block and initials before drawing anything. That is the point of sequential order on an NDA: nobody executes a counterpart that the other side has not signed.
Is an NDA signed online enforceable?
The envelope keeps the evidence such arguments turn on: who was invited, the code they redeemed, the consent they accepted with its timestamp and version, the IP address, and a hash chain over every event. Whether a particular NDA binds is a legal question for your jurisdiction, and this page is not legal advice.
What happens if one party declines?
The envelope moves to declined, nothing further is stamped, and the sender receives a Declined email carrying the reason the signer typed. The contractor agreement example shows a real declined run, including the reason text and what the sender sees afterwards.
How long does the signing link stay valid?
Thirty days from when the envelope was created, and that is fixed: there is no field in the app to shorten or extend it. An expired link answers with a plain message that the signing request has expired, and the sender can create a new envelope from the same PDF.
Can I add a third company after sending?
No. Recipients and fields are locked once the envelope is sent, and the editor redirects to the status page from then on. Withdraw the envelope, which voids the old links and emails everyone still holding one, then send a new envelope with three signers.
Build your own in about a minute
The button below opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match your own, generate, then edit anything you like.
Make my sign an nda onlineOther signing examples
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Notice to vacate signature
A notice to vacate signature needs two marks: the tenant giving the notice and the agent acknowledging the day it arrived. This one page notice for 2/14 Marlow Street shows the tenant signing first with her forwarding address typed in, the agent acknowledging second behind a one-time code, and what the thirty day envelope expiry means for a notice nobody acts on.
Sign a supplier agreement online
A three year supply agreement is signed once and then argued about for three years, usually over the price review mechanism or a missed service level. This envelope puts the supplier's initials on each of the five pages that carry those terms, requires a six digit emailed code from both companies, and finishes with a signature block for each side on page 6.
Want the steps in the builder? Read Send a PDF for e-signature, then Send a document for signature. For everything this generator can do, see the signing flow maker.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .