WhatsApp signing is here — sign without an inbox
Email is still the default way to send a signing link, but it isn't always the fastest way to actually reach someone. A lot of signers — clients abroad, contractors in the field, anyone who checks WhatsApp before they check email — are easier to reach on a phone number than an inbox. Docracy can now deliver the same signing link over WhatsApp instead.
How it works
- The preparer adds a signer's WhatsApp number when sending a document.
- Docracy delivers the signing link to that number via WhatsApp, alongside the usual email invite.
- A PIN set by the preparer is required before that signer can sign — proof of more than just having the phone in hand.
- Delivery and read receipts are recorded in the audit trail, next to the existing tamper-evident hash of the signed PDF.
Where this actually helps
- A client based overseas who reads WhatsApp throughout the day but only opens email once a week
- A contractor or field technician between job sites, without regular access to a laptop or a desktop inbox
- A gig worker signing an agreement between jobs, on a phone, with no time to hunt through email
- A real estate agent who needs a walk-in signer to complete paperwork the same day, not after they get home to a computer
- Someone helping an older relative or a less tech-comfortable signer who already knows how to open WhatsApp but finds email confusing
Before WhatsApp signing
Without a direct channel like this, the workaround was manual: send the email invite as usual, then separately message the signer on WhatsApp asking them to go check their inbox, and hope they do it before the message gets buried. On the day a signature was actually needed, that often meant a second or third nudge on WhatsApp just repeating the same request. The signing itself still depended entirely on the signer opening an email client. WhatsApp signing removes that dependency — the link travels through the channel the signer is already checking, instead of asking them to switch apps to find it.
What the signer sees
From the signer's side, the flow stays simple: a WhatsApp message arrives with the signing link, they open it and review the document as they would from an email invite, and before they can complete the signature they're prompted for the PIN the preparer set. Once the PIN is entered, signing proceeds exactly like any other Docracy document — no app to install, no account for the signer to create.
Why the PIN matters
Phone-bound delivery plus a required PIN is deliberate, not incidental. Together they're designed to meet the EU eIDAS criteria for an Advanced Electronic Signature (AES) — a signature uniquely linked to and capable of identifying the signatory, created under their sole control, and detectably tied to the signed data. It's a meaningful step up from a simple electronic signature (SES), which just proves what was signed and when, not who physically signed it.
Read the full breakdown of WhatsApp signing
How this relates to Advanced Electronic Signature (AES)
What it costs
Free, signed-up accounts get 1 WhatsApp-signed invite per month. Paid accounts get 10 per month included, with additional sends billed at $0.50 each. Enterprise accounts get 50 per month on a fair-use basis. Anonymous, no-signup sends aren't eligible — WhatsApp signing requires a free Docracy account.
A few common questions
Does this replace the email invite?
No. The email invite still goes out as usual — WhatsApp delivery is an additional channel for that same signer, not a replacement for it.
Does every signer on a document need to use WhatsApp?
No. You can mix delivery methods on the same document — one signer by email, another by WhatsApp — depending on how each person is easiest to reach.
Is a WhatsApp-signed document "more legal" than a regular one?
It's more precisely evidenced, not more legal in some general sense. A WhatsApp signature is designed to meet the higher AES bar under eIDAS by tying the signature to a specific phone number and a PIN, which strengthens the evidence of who signed. It's still a simple electronic signature by default everywhere else on Docracy, and Docracy doesn't issue qualified electronic signatures (QES) through this or any other channel.
Why teams start with Docracy
“Docracy is a great product that I have tested and am using. It is easy to use, has good tools, is always up to date, and implements new features. Highly recommended.”— DACH Advisory
Also: Compare e-sign pricing · Free mutual NDA template
No account required for up to 2 signers.