Verify your identity before signing
Some senders add a six-digit access PIN before the document opens. Where the PIN comes from, how many attempts you get, and what the 15-minute lock means.
If the signing link opens on a screen asking for a PIN, type the six digits the sender gave you. The page checks the PIN as soon as the sixth digit is in, and you get five attempts before a 15-minute lock.
Most documents have no PIN at all. The link in your email is already personal to your address, and the consent screen plus the audit trail is enough for ordinary agreements. Senders add a PIN for higher-value documents such as loan paperwork, employment contracts or anything with personal data inside. SMS verification is not available yet.
Enter the access PIN
The PIN screen appears before the consent text, under the line The sender protected this envelope with a PIN. Enter the PIN they shared with you.
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Get the six-digit PIN from the sender. It is never in the email.
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Type it into the six boxes.
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On a match the boxes disappear and the consent text with Agree & continue takes their place.
A wrong PIN shows That PIN didn't match. and the boxes clear for another try. The fifth miss shows Too many attempts. Try again in 15 minutes.
Where the PIN comes from
The sender sets it while adding you as a recipient, one PIN per signer, and passes it to you outside the signing email, by phone or in a message. Every document has its own, so two documents from the same person can have two different PINs. The sender's side of this is covered in Protect a document with an access PIN.
What happens next
Once the PIN is accepted you continue exactly as any other signer: read the disclosure, click Agree & continue and work through your fields. Your IP address, browser and the time of each action are recorded in the audit trail, as they are for every signer. Reopen the link later and you go straight to the document without the PIN screen.
If something goes wrong
- That PIN didn't match. Check with the sender that you have the right one. PINs are six digits, and each document has its own.
- Too many attempts. Try again in 15 minutes. Wait the full 15 minutes. Reloading, a new tab or a different device do not reset it, because the lock sits on the signing link rather than on your browser.
- The sender no longer has the PIN. It cannot be looked up after sending. Ask them to cancel the document and send it again with a new PIN, which arrives as a fresh link.
- The link asks for a PIN but nobody gave me one. The sender protected the document and forgot to pass the PIN on. Ask them for it rather than guessing.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get the PIN?
From the person who sent the document, and only from them. The PIN is never included in the signing email, by design, so that someone with access to your inbox cannot sign in your place. Ask the sender by phone or message. They set it when they added you as a recipient.
How many attempts do I get?
Five. The fifth wrong PIN locks the link for 15 minutes, and the page tells you so. After the lock lifts you get five more attempts. Wait it out rather than reloading. The lock is on the link itself, so a new tab or another device does not help.
Can the sender verify me by SMS or an emailed code instead?
Not at the moment. The check a sender can add today is the access PIN. Beyond that, the signing link is personal to the email address the sender entered, and every action you take is timestamped in the audit trail on the finished document.
Does entering a PIN create an account for me?
No. The PIN opens this one link and nothing else. There is no login or password to keep, and nothing is stored beyond the audit record of what you did while signing. Signing in Document eSign never requires an account on the signer's side.
I already agreed and signed part of the document. Will I be asked for the PIN again?
No. Once you have clicked Agree & continue, reopening the same link takes you straight back to the document. The PIN screen only returns if the sender cancels and sends a fresh copy, which comes with its own link and can carry a different PIN.
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.
ReadSigning 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.
ReadProtect a document with an access PINGrowth and up
Give a signer a 6-digit code they must enter before the document opens. One PIN per signer, set on the recipients step and shared by you, not by email.
ReadDo signers need an account?
No. Signers open the link in the request email and sign in the browser. Here is what gets recorded, what makes it legally valid, and when an account is worth having.
Read