How to get a contract signed online, step by step

The short answer

Prepare the contract, sign it yourself, send each signer a link and a separate access code, follow up until everyone has signed, then keep the signed PDF, its certificate and the evidence file. With QuoteBill E-Contracts the other side needs no account and signs on a phone or a computer.

What you get is a simple electronic signature with an audit trail. It is not an advanced or qualified electronic signature, and QuoteBill does not verify who signs: it records the use of the link and code you delivered. Whether that is enough depends on the contract and the country, and this is not legal advice.

Step by step, from draft to signed copy

The steps follow the screens in the order you meet them:

• Start from a sample contract, from one of your documents with “Start from one of your documents”, or from a blank page.
• Fill in the parties, the clauses, the price schedule and the payment terms; a [[…]] blank that needs your own words blocks sending until you replace it.
• Press “Send for signature”: the text is frozen with a SHA-256 fingerprint and you sign first, as party A.
• Copy each signer’s link and access code from the window that shows them once.
• Send the link by email or messenger and the code by another route, such as a text message or a call.
• Watch the status: opened, signed or declined, each with its time in the audit trail.
• When everyone has signed, save the PDF with its certificate and download the evidence file.

What to send your client

QuoteBill sends no email itself. “Open an email draft” starts a message that contains the link only, never the code. A short message is enough, for example: “Hi Sam, here is the service agreement we discussed, ready to sign: [link]. I am texting you the access code separately. It opens on your phone; please read it through and sign by Friday, 16 October. Call me with any questions.”

Then send the 8-character code by a different route. Keeping the two apart means that someone who intercepts the email alone cannot sign. The code is on by default; a sender who turns it off is warned that anyone with the link can sign.

Following up: reminders, deadlines and lost links

If a signer has not signed, “Remind” prepares a message in the contract’s language for you to copy into your own email or messenger; it never contains the link or the code, and copying it records a reminder in the audit trail, up to 20 per signer. “Change deadline” moves the signing deadline by 1 to 60 days from now, up to 180 days after sending and at most 10 times, without changing the text or the links.

If a signer lost the link, or it locked after wrong codes, “Issue a new link”: the old link and code stop working at once. If the text itself is wrong, “Correct and resend” voids the contract, tells signers who open the old link that it was voided, and opens a new draft with the same text; everyone signs the new one again.

Worked example: a deadline that needs more time

A consultant sends a service agreement on 2026-10-05 with a 14-day deadline, so signing closes on 2026-10-19. The client’s director is travelling, so on 2026-10-15 the consultant uses “Change deadline” with 11 days from that day: the new deadline is 2026-10-26, well within 180 days of sending.

The director signs on 2026-10-22. The consultant copies the completion notice, which asks every signer to save their signed copy because signing links stop working 30 days after completion, so the director has until 2026-11-21. The consultant then makes the deposit invoice from the contract.

Checklist after everyone has signed

Do these four things the same day:

• Use “Print or save as PDF” and file the PDF, with its signature certificate, in the client’s folder.
• Use “Download evidence file”: the exact text, the audit trail and every signature, which anyone can check on the verification page.
• Copy the completion notice and send it, so each signer saves their own copy.
• Use “Make an invoice from this contract”, in full or for a share such as a deposit; the invoice carries the contract reference.

Limits to know before you send

A contract has at most three signers, and E-Contracts is free for members within fair-use limits: 50 new contracts a day, 20 sent a day and 100 stored at a time. There is no bulk sending and no identity check. Some documents need another form in some countries, such as wills, guarantees given as a private person, notarised deeds and many land transfers; consumer contracts need the consumer rules checked first. When in doubt, ask a lawyer before you rely on an electronic signature.

Questions people ask

Does my client need a QuoteBill account? No. A signer opens the link, enters the access code, reads the contract and signs by drawing or typing a name, or with a seal image, on any device and in 33 languages.

What if my client lost the access code? Use “Issue a new link” and send the new link and code again by separate routes. The old pair stops working immediately.

Can I change a clause after sending? Not in place: the text is frozen so everyone signs the same words. Use “Correct and resend”, which voids the old contract and opens a new draft to fix and send.

Is a contract signed this way legally valid? In many countries a signature is not denied legal effect only because it is electronic, but what it proves depends on the evidence and some documents need another form. The e-signature guides explain the rules by country.

Sample contracts and tools

• What your client sees
• A signed contract and its evidence
• Trust and security

250 Free Invoice, Quote & Receipt Templates

• Free quotation generator

  Download the quotation as Excel or Word with the formulas working (free for QuoteBill members), or edit it online and turn an accepted quote into an invoice.

• Project proposal template

  Project proposal template: scope, deliverables, timeline and price as line items, with a valid-until date. A proposal is not a firm offer until you confirm it.

• Free invoice generator

  Download the invoice as Excel or Word with working formulas (free for QuoteBill members), or edit it online with your logo and tax settings and save a PDF.