{"id":97184,"date":"2026-01-20T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T09:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/?p=97184"},"modified":"2026-01-20T12:07:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T12:07:37","slug":"validation-of-electronic-documents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/validation-of-electronic-documents\/","title":{"rendered":"Validation of electronic documents"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we sign a document electronically, we are likely to have several questions about the process, two of which are quite common. The first is: is the document signed electronically? And secondly: if so, is the signature valid?<\/p>\n

We can tell you in advance that, in order to validate electronic documents professionally, the document must be verified by a recognised validation service. However, to address these concerns, we have put together a short guide by way of explanation. Our aim is to help you understand the process and resolve any doubts you may have, so that the task of signing is as simple as possible.<\/p>\n

How do I know that the document is electronically signed?<\/h2>\n

First, we explain how to validate whether a document is signed correctly when Adobe PDF natively identifies and validates signature certificates.<\/p>\n

In this regard, many users\/signatories think that if \u2018Signed by: XXXXXX\u2019 appears graphically on the document, the document is correctly signed. However, that graphic representation of the signature is just that: a graphic representation, and it could be modified with a graphic document editor.<\/p>\n

As we have mentioned, the most common and widely used tool for validating electronic documents is the Adobe PDF viewer. If we use this tool and a valid digital certificate, within a few seconds of opening the signed document, the following header will appear:<\/p>\n

\"banner<\/p>\n

If, on the other hand, the digital certificate used to sign the document has been revoked or has expired, the message will be as follows:<\/p>\n

\"banner<\/p>\n

Verifying signatures and technical evidence in Adobe<\/h2>\n

To view the signer’s details, go to the Adobe PDF \u2018signature panel\u2019, where all the signatures on that document will be displayed.<\/p>\n

It should be noted that in cases where a digital certificate is not used for the signature (for example, a method such as OTP-SMS is used), the signature software must use its own certificate to seal the document. When validating electronic documents in these cases, what we are validating is the seal that guarantees the integrity of the evidence of the process, such as the code sent to the mobile phone and the user’s response.<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether a digital certificate or OTP-SMS is used as the signature method, digital certificates are always used to sign such evidence within the documents and, in this sense, they must be validated.<\/p>\n

Services for validation of electronic documents<\/h2>\n

In addition to Adobe, governments and their regulators often make digital certificate issuing services and platforms for validating electronic documents available to the general public. In order to validate a document, it must be uploaded to the service used, which will then provide a document containing the following information:<\/p>\n