One of the more useful features of EDU Plus, Google’s premium workspace tier, is the ability to request electronic signatures on documents. This means you no longer need to download Docs as PDF files and then upload them to a different e-signature product like Hello Sign or Docusign.

If collecting electronic signatures is something you do on a regular basis, you might be able to save the cost of another subscription by moving your workflow to Google Drive. This makes the cost of upgrading to EDU plus a little more affordable.

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Here’s how the e-signature process works in Google docs.

Make sure you have a license & access

Before you will be able to use the e-signature feature, you need to make sure that you have an EDU plus (Staff) license attached to your account. This feature is NOT available for the Teaching & Learning upgrade or student accounts.

Related post: Don’t forget to assign your Google Workspace licenses!

Your IT administrator will also need to make sure that the eSignature control is enabled in the admin console. It’s on by default, so you should be good to go unless someone specifically disabled it.

Create your document

Now that you have a license and access, everything else happens in Google Docs. Create a new document that needs a signature, or open up an existing document, your choice.

To get started, click on insert and look for “eSignature fields.”

Now it’s time to define who needs to sign this document. In my example, I need two signatures, mine, and Bruce Wayne.

I changed “signature 1” to my name and then added a second signer for Bruce. You can add a maximum of 10 signers to a single document.

Once you have identified your signers, you need to add the fields you wish to collect. Here are your options:

• Signature
• Initials
• Name
• Date signed
• Text field

In my example, I added fields for signature, name, and date signed. Each signer is assigned to a unique color for easy identification.

Send the signature request

Once you have finished adding your signature fields, it’s time to send off the eSignature request to each person who needs to sign the document.

To get started, click the “request signature” button at the bottom of the eSignature sidebar. If it isn’t visible, click insert > eSignature fields to open it back up.

You will need to supply an email address for each unique signer. This email does NOT need to be a Google / Gmail account. Any address will work fine. You can also write a message explaining the signature request. When you are ready, click “request signature.”

When a signature request is sent, a PDF copy of your document is generated so that the contents of the document can’t be changed. Editing your document will NOT update the PDF version that will be signed. If you need to update the document, you would need to cancel and re-send the signature request.

The owner of the document will receive a confirmation email listing everyone who has received a signature request. You can track the status of the approvals by clicking the link in this email.

How to eSign a Google Document

Adding a signature to a document is very easy and can be done using any device. Simply click “open” and follow the instructions. Signatures are automatically generated when you type in your name. A touch-screen is not needed.

It is important to click the “mark as complete” button on the top of the signature PDF after you have finished. This officially adds your signature and completes the process.

How to view your signed document

When all parties have signed the document, the completed, signed PDF is uploaded to Google Drive. Each signer is also sent a PDF copy of the final document via email.

One thing that I find annoying is the fact that the finished PDF is added to your root “My Drive” folder rather than being added to the same folder as the original document. I usually end up manually moving the final, signed PDF copy into the appropriate folder.

In addition to the signatures, you will also find an “audit trail” has been added to the final signed copy that indicated the date, time, and details for each signer.

According to Google’s support article, eSignatures collected through this feature are legally enforceable in the United States and EU. This feature also adheres to Adobe’s Approved Trust List (AATL) protocol.

Need internal approvals?

This new eSignature feature for Google Docs is primarily designed for situations when an external user needs to add their approval to a document.

If you need different administrators or department heads to sign of on an internal document (like the final version of a budget or student conduct manual), you might want to take a look at the “document approval” feature that is also available for Google Drive. This feature makes it easy to internally approve documents, presentations, spreadsheets, etc. Once approval has been granted, the document is locked for editing. Unlocking the document will remove the approvals.