Signing link expired or invalid
Why a signing link shows "This link has expired" or "invalid or has been revoked", and what to ask the sender for.
A signing link stops working once the sender's deadline passes or the document is cancelled. You cannot restart it yourself. Ask the sender to send the document again and a fresh link arrives by email.
The two screens you might see
This link has expired means the request existed but is no longer open for signing. The page adds "The sender set a deadline that has passed, or the document has been cancelled."
This signing link is invalid or has been revoked means the address you opened does not match any signing request at all.
Why the link expired
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Expired | The signing window ran out, the sender cancelled the document, or another signer declined it. Less often: your turn was forwarded or reassigned, or you had already declined. | If you still need to sign, ask the sender to send the document again. If your turn moved to someone else, do nothing. The new person has their own link. |
| Invalid or revoked | The link was truncated or altered in copying, or the document was deleted. | Copy the full link from the original email. If it still fails, ask the sender to resend. |
The link stops working as soon as the deadline passes. The sender's copy is marked Expired, and they get a notification within a day. If the consent page said "expires today", finish before the time shown in the request email.
What to ask the sender for
Ask them to send the document again to the same email address. Sending again creates a fresh request with its own link and deadline, and the old one stays dead. Anything you or other signers filled in on the expired copy is not carried over, so budget the time to fill it in once more.
If you have a Document eSign account under the same email, the new request also appears in your Inbox after you sign in.
If something goes wrong
- The link in the email is split across two lines. Copy the whole address, including the tail after the line break, and paste it into the browser's address bar. On a phone the button is usually intact, so try there.
- Expired, but the sender says it is still open. They may have reassigned your turn. Look for a newer request email.
- The page loaded once, then showed expired on refresh. Either the deadline passed between the two loads, or another signer declined in the meantime and the document was cancelled for everyone. Whoever declined gave a reason, and the sender has it.
- The new link the sender sent also says expired. Their workspace has a very short default signing window, or they reused the old document instead of sending a new one. Only they can fix it, by checking the expiry on the review step before sending again.
- You need the signed copy of a finished document. That link does not expire. If it fails anyway, the document was most likely deleted. The sender still has the PDF and audit certificate they downloaded.
Frequently asked questions
Can the sender extend the deadline instead of resending?
Once a document has expired it stays expired. The sender sends the document again as a new request, which gives every outstanding signer a fresh link and deadline. Signatures already collected on the expired copy are not carried over, so the sender may ask earlier signers to sign the new one too.
The link worked yesterday. Why not today?
The deadline passed overnight. The consent page shows the signing window as "expires in 3 days" or "expires today", and the link stops working as soon as that time lapses. A document can also be cancelled by the sender or declined by another signer between your two visits, which retires every link on it.
I already signed. Does my link expire too?
No. Once the whole document is complete, your link keeps opening the Document already signed page with the download buttons. Expiry only affects documents that were still waiting for signatures. If a completed document's link stops working, the sender has most likely deleted the document, so ask them for the PDF directly.
What does "invalid or has been revoked" mean?
The link does not match any signing request. Usually the address was cut short or altered when the email was forwarded or the link wrapped onto a second line. It can also mean the sender deleted the document. Copy the full link from the original email again before asking the sender to resend.
What exactly should I ask the sender for?
Ask them to send the document again to your email address. They do this from their Documents page, because you cannot restart it from your side. Mention whether you saw "expired" or "invalid". An expired link means the deadline passed, while an invalid one usually means the address was mangled or the document was removed.
Keep going
How to sign a document you received
Open the link in the email, agree to sign electronically, fill each highlighted field, and click Sign now. No account needed.
ReadDecline to sign a document
How to refuse a signature request with a short reason, and what the sender and other signers see once you do.
ReadForward a document to someone else
Hand your signing turn to the right person without cancelling the document. Available when the sender's workspace allows forwarding.
ReadDocument policies: signing window, reminders and forwardingGrowth and up
Set the signing window, reminder cadence and forwarding rule once, and every document you send afterwards starts from those values.
Read