When a document is signed in Connie, the signed PDF is sealed. The seal covers the whole file: every page, every word and every signature. If anything is changed afterwards, the seal breaks, and anyone who opens the document can see it.
That's how you can always prove that the document you hold is exactly the one all parties signed.
What happens when a document is signed
The content is hashed. Connie calculates a unique digital fingerprint of the document. Change a single character, and the fingerprint no longer matches.
The PDF is sealed. The signed PDF is sealed with Connie's digital certificate, using the PAdES standard (PDF Advanced Electronic Signatures) from the European eIDAS rules. The certificate is on the EU Trusted Lists, so PDF readers like Adobe Acrobat Reader recognise it automatically.
It gets a qualified timestamp. A Qualified Trust Service Provider, approved in the EU, records exactly when the document was sealed. This protects it against backdating.
This applies to every document signed in Connie, with both simple and advanced signatures.
What you'll see in the signed PDF
The last page of every signed PDF is the signature page. It shows:
Each signer, with their name, when they signed, the type of signature and how they were identified.
Document Integrity, a note confirming that the content has been hashed, sealed and timestamped by a qualified third-party trust provider.
Document ID, the document's unique ID in Connie.
How to verify a document
You don't need Connie to check a signed document. Any PDF reader that understands digital signatures can do it, for example Adobe Acrobat Reader.
1. Open the signed PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader
2. Open the Signature Panel
A bar at the top of the document tells you that it's certified by Connie ApS. Click Signature Panel to see the details.
3. Check the two entries
The panel lists two entries. Together they tell you who sealed the document, when, and that nothing has changed since.
Entry | What it tells you |
Certified by Connie ApS | The document was sealed by Connie. Adobe shows Valid certified document and Signer's identity is valid, with trust taken from the EU Trusted Lists. Under Signature Details, the Reason names who signed, for example "Signed by Freja Lindqvist using Connie". |
Signed by SK TIMESTAMPING UNIT | The qualified timestamp, added by an EU-approved trust service provider. Adobe shows Signature is valid and Document has not been modified since this signature was applied. |
Both entries also say Signature is LTV enabled. LTV means long-term validation: everything needed to check the seal is stored inside the PDF, so it can still be verified many years from now.
"Changes have been made to this document that are permitted by the certifying party"
You'll see this line under the first entry. It's expected: it refers to the timestamp, which is added right after the seal. It doesn't mean the content was edited.
If someone has changed the document after it was signed, Adobe shows a warning that the document was modified, and the entries no longer validate.
Always share the original file
Printing a signed PDF, scanning it or saving it through another program creates a new file without the seal. To let others verify the document, send them the original PDF from Connie.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an ID number or initials on every page?
No, and you don't need it. Marking each page comes from paper contracts, where a page could be swapped out without anyone noticing. In a sealed PDF that's not possible: the seal covers every page at once, so a changed, added or removed page breaks it.
The document's unique Document ID is shown on the signature page. See Does each contract in Connie have a unique ID I can reference in addendums?
How do I know the signers read all the pages?
Signers see the whole document before they sign, and each signer confirms that they agree to sign it. The seal then proves that the document they signed is the one you have, page for page.
Whose name is on the seal?
Connie's. All signed documents are sealed with Connie's digital certificate, so the seal reads "Certified by Connie ApS", also if you use custom branding. The signers' names appear in the seal's Reason.
Does this apply to PDFs I upload and send for signature?
Yes. Uploaded PDFs that are signed in Connie are sealed in the same way.
Does it apply to documents added with Upload & Store?
No. Those documents were signed outside Connie, so Connie stores them as they are and doesn't seal them.
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