Send a document for signature
Send a document for signature
Open Sign in the sidebar and start a new signature request. The builder is four steps, with a stepper across the top so you can move back and forth.
Step 1 — Choose a document
Drag a PDF onto the drop zone, or click to browse. PDF is the only accepted format — if what you have is a Word file or a photo, convert or export it to PDF first.
Then:
- Title — what recipients see in the invitation email and in your list. Name it something a stranger would recognise ("Tenancy agreement — 14 Elm St"), not "scan_003".
- Message (optional) — a short note included in the signing invite.
- Confirmation — you must tick that the document is not one of the excluded types. my-id.ca does not support wills, codicils, powers of attorney, or land-registration and title documents.
Step 2 — Who needs to sign
Add each recipient with a full name and email address. An optional role label ("Buyer", "Witness", "Guarantor") helps when there are several people and makes the placed fields easier to keep straight.
Two settings matter here:
"I need to sign this too." Tick it if you are also a signer. You are added as a recipient like anyone else.
Signing order:
- Everyone at once (parallel) — all recipients are invited immediately and can sign in any order. Use this by default; it is faster.
- In order (sequential) — each recipient is invited only after the previous one has signed. Use this when one signature genuinely depends on another, for example a guarantor who should only see a countersigned agreement.
With sequential signing and yourself included, you also choose whether you sign first or last.
Each recipient gets a colour, used consistently through the rest of the builder.
Step 3 — Place fields
Now you mark up the document itself. Pick who you are placing for, pick a field type, then click or drag on the page to put it down.
Field types:
| Field | What the signer does |
|---|---|
| Signature | Applies their signature |
| Initials | Applies their initials |
| Date | Filled automatically with the date they sign |
| Name | Their typed name |
| Text | A free-text box you have positioned |
| Checkbox | A tick box |
You need at least one field before you can continue. Place fields for every recipient who has to act — a recipient with no fields has nothing to do.
Field positions are stored relative to the page, so they land correctly whatever screen the recipient opens them on.
Step 4 — Review and send
A summary of the document, message, recipients, signing order, and how many fields each person has. Anything wrong, click Edit to jump back to that step.
Then send. Recipients are invited the moment you send — there is no delay or undo window.
What happens next
Each recipient gets an email with a signing link. They verify with a one-time code sent to that same email address, consent to signing electronically, complete their fields, and finish. If they are unwilling, they can decline, and you are told.
Back on your Sign page you can watch progress. Every envelope shows its state — draft, sent, partially signed, completed, declined, voided, expired — and each recipient shows as pending, viewed, signed, or declined. Filters let you narrow to Needs action, In progress, Completed, or Drafts.
Open an envelope for the full activity trail: created, sent, delivered, opened, consent given, signed, reminders sent, completed, sealed.
You can also:
- Void a request you no longer want signed.
- Download the original PDF you uploaded.
- Download the sealed document and the certificate of completion once everyone has signed.
my-id.ca sends reminders to recipients who have not acted, so you do not have to chase manually.
Limits
Sending is metered: 5 signature requests per 30 days on the free plan, unlimited on Plus. The Sign page shows "Requests this month" so you know where you stand. Signing something someone sent you never counts.
Practical tips
- Check the PDF is final before you upload. Replacing the document means rebuilding field placement.
- Send to the address the person actually reads. The one-time code goes to that mailbox — a stale work address will stall the whole thing.
- Prefer parallel signing. Sequential is slower by design; only use it when the order genuinely matters.
- Place a date field rather than asking someone to type the date. It fills itself and cannot be wrong.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- Does the other person need a my-id.ca account?
- No. They open the emailed link, verify with a one-time code sent to that same address, and sign in the browser. No account, no install.
- Can I sign my own document as well?
- Yes. Tick 'I need to sign this too' on the recipients step. With sequential signing you also choose whether you sign first or last.
- Can I cancel after sending?
- Yes — void the envelope from its detail panel. Recipients who have not signed can no longer act on it. Anything already signed stays in the activity record.