The digital signature in Holded allows you to send documents to sign directly through the Client Portal, eliminating the need for external tools and streamlining document management.
With this functionality, your customers can sign quotes, shipments, and other documents quickly and securely. In addition, you can monitor the status of each request with a detailed activity log.
When a document is signed, the signature is automatically added to the PDF, and both parties will receive an email notification confirming the signature.
How the digital signature works
☝🏼 Before you begin, make sure the Digital Signature gem is activated from the Holded Store.
Once activated, you’ll be able to configure your preferences and send specific documents for signing from their side panel.
Select a document (like a quote or delivery note) and enable the Digital Signature option.
Your client will receive an email with the signature request and a link to access the document.
They’ll be asked to enter their name, email, and draw their signature.
The signature will be automatically embedded into the PDF.
Both you and your client will receive a confirmation email once the document is signed.
This way, document management in Holded’s CRM becomes faster and more professional, no need to print, scan or use external signing tools.
Legal validity of digital signature in Holded
Holded’s digital signature is based on the user’s email address, IP address, document hash, and timestamp, and complies with the requirements of advanced electronic signature as defined in Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS).
This feature is intended to facilitate agreements between parties through a mutual user consensus, without requiring digital certificates or the involvement of a trusted third-party provider.
Therefore, it does not constitute a qualified electronic signature, nor does Holded guarantee its legal validity. If you require specific legal guarantees, we recommend consulting with a legal advisor.
You can review the full terms of use for Holded’s electronic signature here.
Digital signature settings
To configure digital signature preferences:
Go to Menu > Settings, click CRM, and choose Digital signature.
Under “Signable documents”, check or uncheck the box for those sales documents (quotes, invoices and proformas) and inventory documents (sales orders, sales delivery notes) that you want to allow for signature.
Under “Signature expiration time”, check Use default expiration date, or use the drop-down to choose the maximum time to complete the signature before it expires.
☝🏼 If a signature is associated with a quote and expires, the quote will be automatically rejected with a comment stating “Signature has expired”.
Under “Email Template”, use the drop-down to select the default template for sending signature requests.
Once configured, you will be able to activate the digital signature requirement in the documents sent to your customers.
Monthly signature limit by plan
The number of digital signatures available each month depends on your current plan:
Freelance PRO → up to 5 signatures/month.
Basic → up to 20 signatures/month.
Standard → up to 50 signatures/month.
Advanced → up to 100 signatures/month.
Premium → up to 400 signatures/month.
☝🏼 Once you reach the monthly limit, you won’t be able to request new signatures until the next billing cycle.
Activate or deactivate the requirement of a digital signature for a document
Access the list of documents you want (for example, Inventory > Shipments, or Sales > Budgets), and click on the document where you want to require the signature.
In the right side panel of the document, locate the “Digital signature” section, and click on Require digital signature.
Check or uncheck the box of the options you want:
This document requires digital signature: turn it on to require it.
Required fields:
Name (required).
Email (required).
ID / ID number: mandatory in many countries for legal signatures.
Position/company: in B2B contracts, it is sometimes relevant to include the position of the signatory.
Signature expiration date: choose one option:
Same as document expiration.
Custom date.
☝🏼 You can enter one or more email addresses. If you enter more than one, the first person to sign will complete the process, and the others will no longer be able to do so.
Click Apply.
Once applied, this document now has the digital signature requirement enabled.
Go back to the “Digital Signature” section, in the side panel of the document, to disable the requirement or to edit any other signature-related settings.
Signature status and document filtering
In Holded, documents can have the following statuses with respect to digital signature:
Pending: not yet signed.
Signed: signature completed.
Expired: not signed within the deadline.
Not required: no signature has been requested.
You can filter by signature status in the Signature column, within any list of documents (invoices, estimates, delivery notes, etc.). In addition, when a document changes to Signed status, both you and the signer will receive a confirmation email with a link to download the document.
Sending a signature to multiple recipients
When you request a digital signature, you can add one or more email addresses as recipients. By default, the customer's contact email will be displayed, but you can edit it or add others.
Everyone will receive the same link, but only the first person to sign will validate the document. From that moment on, the others will no longer be able to sign.
When the signature is complete:
The document will change to Signed status.
All recipients will receive a confirmation email with the name of the person who signed and the date.
Only the name of the signer will be displayed in the document record and in the lists.
Signing from the Client Portal
Once you request a signature on a document, your customer will receive an email with a link to access the Client Portal. When they open the document, they will see an “Accept and sign” button (for quotes) or “Sign” (for other documents).
The process is as follows:
Complete the required data according to the options you have activated in the signature request.
Draw the signature in the corresponding box. Click on Clear to redraw the signature or Cancel to return to the previous screen.
☝🏼 If the document has already been signed by another recipient, a message will appear informing you that it is no longer available for signing.
Click “Accept quote” or “Sign”, depending on the type of document.
Once signed, both parties will receive a confirmation email.
Versions of a signed document
Once you access any digitally signed document in Holded, under the “Digital signature” section in the right panel, you can consult all its versions, from the original unsigned document to each of the signed versions. Click on any of them to preview it and access the printing options.
☝🏼 If a signed document is edited for any reason (correction, application of a discount, etc.), the signature may become invalid and you will need to sign it again. Even in that case, you will be able to see the generated versions in the “Versions” section.