Skip to main content
james_cali
Participant
Apr 30, 2026 9:52 PM UTC
Question

How to create a e-sign without a certificate

Hi everyone,

We’re trying to determine the best way to handle a recurring multi‑signer PDF workflow without permanently locking the document.

Scenario:

  • We send a PDF to multiple signers.
  • At the end of the signing process, the PDF becomes locked due to a digital certificate.
  • The same PDF needs to be used again at the end of each month for a callback process and must be signed again.
  • Once a digital certificate is applied, the document cannot be modified unless it is printed/recreated, which breaks the workflow.

Additional issue:

  • After monthly reports are called back, we combine all signed PDFs into a single PDF for compliance submission.
  • When combining PDFs that contain certificates, the signatures are stripped from the final combined document upon saving.

Question: Is there a way to:

  • Send a PDF to multiple signers without applying a document‑locking certificate, or
  • Configure Adobe Sign/Acrobat so the document remains reusable and signatures are preserved when combining PDFs?

Any guidance, best practices, or recommended workflows would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

    2 replies

    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    May 3, 2026 10:04 PM UTC

    Your proposed workflow won’t work. The document would no longer be a valid legal instrument. 

    You’ll need to generate new forms for each signing cycle to preserve the integrity of signatures on previous and future documents. I know, it’s a hassle, but there’s no way around it. 

     

    Good luck.

     

    Translate
    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    John T Smith
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    Apr 30, 2026 10:43 PM UTC

    This is the USING THE COMMUNITY forum... this is where the forum is discussed
    This is not where you ask program or account questions
    Moving a message to the correct forum is not working
    Start here https://community.adobe.com/community and find the correct forum for your question

     

    I will GUESS  you need the Acrobat forum https://community.adobe.com/p/acrobat

    OR

    Acrobat Sign https://community.adobe.com/adobe-acrobat-sign-28

     

    Translate