The last page of every signed document
When the last person signs, eSora Sign seals the document and adds a Certificate of Completion as its final page. Every plan gets one, including Free. It is a short summary of how the document was signed: who took part, how each person was checked, what happened and when, and a way to confirm the file has not changed.
The certificate is not decoration. It is the first thing to look at if anyone ever asks whether a signature is genuine. This article walks through what it contains and how to read it.
What the certificate shows
Document details. The document title, the record ID, the number of pages, and the date the request was sent and completed. The record ID is a unique reference you can use to look the document up on the Verify page.
Sender. Who sent the request, from which workspace, and when.
Each participant. For every signer and approver: their name, email address, role, and the order in which they acted. If someone passed the document to another person, the certificate shows both and when the handover happened.
Identity checks. Every check each person passed, such as email code, SMS code, access code, photo ID or company sign-in, with the time it passed. For SMS checks it shows the last digits of the phone number.
Consent. The time each signer agreed to use electronic records and signatures.
Signing events. When each person opened the document, signed or approved, and the IP address and device type for each event.
Fingerprints. A SHA-256 fingerprint of the signed document pages. The fingerprint of the complete file, certificate included, is kept in the evidence pack, since a page cannot contain the fingerprint of the file it sits in. A fingerprint is a short string of letters and numbers that changes completely if even one character in the file changes.
Timestamp. The trusted timestamp applied when the document was sealed, showing that the file existed in this form at that moment.
What it proves
Taken together, the certificate shows four things that matter in a dispute.
Intent. Each signer took deliberate actions: agreed to sign electronically, opened the document, placed their signature and confirmed. That sequence shows they meant to sign.
Attribution. Each signer passed one or more checks tied to an email address, phone, code or ID. That links the signature to a person in a way you can explain.
Integrity. The fingerprint, the tamper seal and the trusted timestamp show that the PDF has not been changed since it was signed. If someone edits the file, the seal breaks and the fingerprint no longer matches.
Sequence. The event log shows what happened in what order, with times and devices. That makes it hard for anyone to claim, for example, that they never received the document.
What it does not prove
It is just as important to know the limits.
The certificate does not prove that a signer read or understood the document. It shows they opened it and signed it. If understanding matters, for example in a consent form, make sure the document itself explains things clearly and consider adding a checkbox the signer must tick to confirm they read a key section.
It does not prove identity beyond the checks you chose. An email code shows the signer had access to an inbox. It does not show whose hands were on the keyboard. If you need stronger proof, use a stronger check.
It does not make an invalid agreement valid. If a document type must be on paper, or requires a witness or notary, a certificate does not change that. See our articles on e-signature law in Canada, the United States and the EU.
It does not cover what happens outside eSora Sign. If someone prints the document and signs a paper copy, or emails a different version, the certificate only speaks to the copy that went through eSora Sign.
The evidence pack
The certificate is a summary. The full record is in the evidence pack, which you can download from any completed document. It is a sealed ZIP file that contains the signed PDF, the Certificate of Completion, the full event log, the original upload, the consent records, and the fingerprints of each file.
If a signature is ever challenged, this is the bundle to give your lawyer. It contains everything needed to show how the document was signed, without anyone needing access to your eSora Sign account.
How anyone can check a certificate
A certificate is only useful if others can trust it. That is why eSora Sign has a public Verify page. Anyone with a copy of the signed PDF can drop it on the page, or type the record ID from the certificate, and see whether it matches our record. They do not need an account.
If the file matches, the page confirms the record ID, the completion date and the participants. If it does not match, the page says so. That usually means the file was changed, re-saved or is a different version.
Who gets a copy
When a document is completed, every signer and every person with the Gets a copy role receives the signed PDF with the certificate attached. That matters. Each party holds the same sealed file, so nobody depends on the sender to produce the record later, and any party can check their copy on the Verify page at any time.
If a recipient's email changed during signing, or a signer passed the document to a colleague, the certificate records that too. You will see the original recipient, the change and the time it happened.
Keep the original
To keep the certificate meaningful, keep the original signed PDF. Do not print it and scan it back in. Do not open it in an editor and save it again. Either can change the file and break the fingerprint, even if the text looks identical. Store the download as it came, or keep it in eSora Sign under a retention rule. If you need to share it, share the original file or a private link.
This article is general information, not legal advice.