How to Verify a Digital Signature in a PDF
Verify an electronic signature in 1 minute: what yellow, green and red mean in Adobe Reader, how to use the public verification page and the EU validator.
How to verify a digital signature in 1 minute
Received a signed contract and want to confirm it is genuine? You need no account, no paid software, and no phone call to us. Anyone — a lawyer, an inspector, a client — can verify alone, three ways.
The three Adobe Reader colours
Open the PDF in Adobe Reader (free). The top of the page always shows one of three statements:
Yellow: valid signature, unknown author
The maths checks out — the document is intact and the signature is real. Adobe just does not know the author yet. This is the normal state of a self-issued seal before you install trust once.
Green: signed and certified
Valid and from a trusted author. You see this after installing our certificate (install guide) or when the seal comes from a qualified provider.
Red: do not trust
The file changed after signing, or the signature is broken. Reject the document and ask us for a fresh copy.
Method 1: Adobe signature panel (most complete)
- 1Open the Signature Panel
Top-right of the document, click Signature Panel. A sidebar opens with every seal and timestamp in the file.
- 2Read the seal lines
A correct Chegatta document shows: Certified by Chegatta Document Seal, Valid certified document, Signer's identity is valid and Signature is LTV enabled. Each line verifies independently.
- 3Check the evidence detail
Expand Signature Details: seal reason, location and signed field. Under Certificate Details, confirm the seal name and fingerprint.
One line may stay unverified: the timestamp. Our timestamps come from a free timestamp authority (FreeTSA) that Adobe does not recognise — so it can read "the signature includes an embedded timestamp but it could not be verified". The document seal stays valid and the date remains proven by the timestamp maths; only the clock's authority is unrecognised. Paid qualified timestamps remove this line.
Method 2: public verification page (fastest)
Every certificate carries a QR code and an app.chegatta.com/verify/... link. Open it on a phone or browser:
- 1Scan the QR or open the link
No account, no login. The page is public on purpose: built for third parties to verify.
- 2Confirm the essentials
Process state, validated percentage, document SHA-256 fingerprint, signing method, timestamp and seal — recomputed on every visit, never static text.
- 3Compare the fingerprint
The SHA-256 shown must match the file you received. If it matches, the document in your hands is exactly what was signed.
Method 3: EU Commission validator (most independent)
Drag the PDF into the EU demo validator. Run by the European Commission, not by us: it identifies the PAdES level (Baseline-T / LT), confirms the signature and states exactly which trust links are missing. Ideal to attach to a case file or audit.
When something looks wrong
- Yellow persists after installing: you probably installed an old certificate or missed the trust checkboxes. Follow the install guide step by step.
- Red: do not try to "repair" it. Ask the issuer for a fresh copy of the document.
- Verification page says IN PROGRESS: the process has not finished yet (seal or timestamp outstanding). Wait a few minutes and reopen — the page always recomputes.
Related Guides
- Install the Trust Certificate — yellow to green in 2 minutes
- Trust Certificate — what lives inside every signed PDF
- Digital Contract Signatures — the full signing flow
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