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Overview

When you call POST /v1/envelopes/{id}/send, GetSigned:
  1. Generates a short-lived signed JWT for each signer (scoped to that signer + that envelope)
  2. Embeds the token in a signing URL: https://sign.getsigned.ca/sign/{token}
  3. Sends the signer an email (and SMS if a phone number was provided) with the link
Signers never create an account. The token is their only credential.

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The signer journey

1

Signer opens their link

The signing UI loads the document and records a viewed event with IP, user agent, timestamp, and geo.
2

OTP verification

Depending on authMethod, the signer receives an OTP via email or SMS and enters it to proceed. This proves they control the email or phone used to invite them.
3

E-signature consent

The signer reviews and accepts the e-signature disclosure (“I agree that my electronic signature is legally binding”). This is recorded as a consented event.
4

Signing

The signer draws or types their signature and completes all required fields. Each field completion is recorded as a signed_field event.
5

Completed

When all required fields are done, a signed event is recorded and the next signer in the routing order receives their invite.

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Auth methods

authMethodHow the signer proves identity
email_otp6-digit OTP sent to the signer’s email
sms_otp6-digit OTP sent to the signer’s phone (requires phone field on signer)
noneNo OTP — link access alone is sufficient (lower assurance, use with caution)
authMethod: none is appropriate only for low-risk, low-value documents. For any document with legal or financial consequences, use email_otp or sms_otp.

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Token security

Signing tokens are:
  • Short-lived — default TTL is 7 days (configurable per envelope via expiresAt)
  • Single-use — the token is invalidated after signing completes
  • Signer-scoped — a token for Signer A cannot be used to view or sign Signer B’s fields
  • Envelope-scoped — cannot be used on any other envelope
If a signer loses their email, you can re-send the invite: 
curl -X POST https://api.getsigned.ca/v1/envelopes/env_01HX.../resend \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "signerId": "sgn_01HX..." }'
This invalidates the old token and generates a new one.

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Events recorded

Every action in the signing flow appends a row to signature_events with:
FieldExample
event_typeviewed, otp_sent, otp_verified, consented, signed_field, signed, declined
ip203.0.113.42
user_agentMozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7)...
geo{ "country": "CA", "region": "ON", "city": "Toronto" }
timestamp2026-06-19T14:32:00.000Z
These events are what appear on the audit certificate page in the final PDF.

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What happens after all signers complete

  1. All signature fields are flattened into the PDF
  2. A SHA-256 hash of the final document is computed → stored as document_hash_final
  3. An audit certificate page is appended (lists all events with timestamps, IPs, and hashes)
  4. A PKCS#7 digital signature is applied over the whole file (service certificate)
  5. envelope.status → completed
  6. A envelope.completed webhook event fires to your endpoint
The sealed PDF is then available at GET /v1/envelopes/{id}/document.

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Declined envelopes

A signer can decline at any point before completing. This:
  • Records a declined event
  • Sets the envelope status to declined
  • Fires an envelope.declined webhook event
  • Invalidates all remaining signing links
A declined envelope cannot be resumed. Create a new envelope if you need to restart the process.