Review the region's signed deals, compare each signed file to the approved price lists, flag any agreements with disco…
Open the PDF document containing the digital signature you want to validate.
Locate the signature field or signature panel in the document.
Click directly on the digital signature or open the signature panel and select the signature you wish to validate.
In the signature details popup, click Signature Properties.
In the Signature Properties dialog, click Show Certificate to review certificate details if needed.
Close the certificate window, then click Validate Signature in the Signature Properties dialog.
Best practiceIf the signature status shows as 'Unknown' or 'Not Valid', check if the signer's certificate needs to be added to your list of trusted identities.
Review the validation result displayed in the Signature Properties dialog.
You can view detailed information about the signature's validity and certificate by clicking on the signature and opening Signature Properties.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
A trusted identity is a certificate from a person or organization that you have chosen to trust. When you validate a digital signature, Acrobat checks if the signer's certificate comes from a trusted identity. If it does, the signature is more likely to be authentic and valid. Managing trusted identities helps you quickly verify signatures from known sources.
Not always. A signature's validity can depend on the signer's certificate and a timestamp server. To ensure a signature remains valid for a long time, even after the certificate expires, you should add verification information for Long-Term Validation (LTV). This embeds all necessary data into the document, making the signature self-validating over many years.
Verifying certificate information is crucial because it confirms the identity of the person who signed the deal. It also shows if the certificate is still valid and has not been revoked. This step helps ensure that the signature is from a legitimate source and that the deal is legally binding.
| Feature | Simple Digital Signature | Digital Signature with LTV |
|---|---|---|
| Validity Over Time | May expire if the signing certificate or timestamp server becomes unavailable or expires. | Remains valid for many years, even if the original signing certificate expires, because all necessary validation data is embedded. |
| Verification Data | Relies on external sources (certificate authority, timestamp server) at the time of validation. | Includes all verification data (certificate status, timestamp) within the document itself, making it self-contained. |
| Purpose | Proves identity and document integrity at the time of signing and short-term validation. | Ensures long-term legal enforceability and trustworthiness of the document over extended periods. |