E-signature API: how to automate sending and returning documents

An e-signature API lets you send documents for signature directly from your company's system and receive the signed files back in the right place, without moving them by hand. SignSafe works through a REST API, and we practically do the implementation and the switch for you. We offer the same feature set at 50% of your current price on presenting an invoice or offer. Example: the rollout at the agency R2T.

An e-signature API lets you send documents for signature from your company’s system and receive the signed files back in the right place, without moving them by hand. It is worth considering when your company handles many repeatable contracts. SignSafe prices the API individually. The integration runs through a REST API, and we support the implementation at every stage. We practically do everything.

What does an integration give you?

Without an integration, someone downloads the document by hand, sends it for signature, watches the status, then uploads the signed file to the system. With an integration:

• the document leaves the system with one click, or automatically,
• the recipient’s data is taken from the system (no retyping),
• the signed document returns to the right place: a customer, employee, lead, subcontractor or project profile,
• fewer errors from moving files and data around.

What does the flow look like?

1. A document is created in your system, or a template is selected.
2. The system passes it to SignSafe through the API with the recipient’s data.
3. The recipient receives the document and signs on a phone or computer. They do not create an account or install an app.
4. The status is visible live, and a notification arrives when someone signs.
5. The signed PDF returns to your system, to the place you point to.

The exact shape of the integration (which fields, which events) is agreed with the SignSafe team during implementation. We do not promise here any features we have not described in our offer.

When does the API pay off?

Typical situations where automation is worth it:

• Staffing agencies. Many contracts with new people, a repeatable template, a need to return documents to the employee’s record quickly.
• Companies with many customer contracts, for example in sales or customer service.
• Companies with many branches or subcontractors, where documents must reach the right project.
• Teams that today track signature statuses by hand in e-mails and spreadsheets.

If you send a few documents a month, a regular account is enough and you do not need the API.

What to ask a provider before implementation

1. What data and events does the API support, and how is it documented?
2. What does pricing look like and what exactly does it cover (billing, support)?
3. What support will you get during and after implementation?
4. Where is data stored and is there a data processing agreement? (In SignSafe the servers are in the EU, hosted by OVH, and business and API customers receive a data processing agreement.)
5. How can you export or download your documents if you ever change provider?
6. Can the documents you plan to use be signed by hand on a screen? According to the 2023 legal opinion of G&A, a signature in SignSafe is handwritten and meets written form; where the electronic form of Art. 78¹ of the Polish Civil Code is required, we can connect a qualified electronic signature, and a notarial deed is not possible (see Legal security). If in doubt, ask a lawyer.

Is switching provider hard with an API?

No. Switching provider with an API is simple and light on the customer, because we practically do everything: from agreeing the flow to launching the integration through the REST API. We offer the same feature set at 50% of your current price on presenting an invoice or offer from your current provider (for example Autenti, Pergamin, DocuSign or Adobe Sign), on individually agreed terms. We describe it further in the article on switching provider.

A rollout example: the staffing agency R2T

R2T, a temporary employment agency, rolled out signing of contracts with temporary workers (contrat de mission) and with agency clients (contrat de mise à disposition). The solution was integrated through the API with R2T’s dedicated system for running a staffing agency. See the page R2T rollout and API integration. The general outline of such an integration: a recruiter marks a candidate as accepted in the agency’s system, the system passes the contract to SignSafe, the candidate signs it on a phone, and the signed PDF returns to their profile.

How to prepare for an implementation conversation

• describe which system the documents should come from,
• estimate the number of documents per month (your own estimate),
• list the document types and where they should return to,
• decide who on your side will look after the integration.

What to watch out for in automation

Automation also speeds up mistakes. If a document template contains an outdated clause, the system will send it hundreds of times. So before launch, check the templates, test the flow on a few internal documents and decide who reacts when a document comes back unsigned. Also keep the personal data passed through the API to what is really needed for signing.

What next

• See the API integration page.
• See the R2T rollout and e-signature in staffing agencies.
• Learn about the electronic document workflow.
• Describe your process to us: contact us.