How to Add Electronic Signatures to WordPress — Step-by-Step

If you want to add an electronic signature to WordPress, you don't need a developer, a subscription, or a complicated form builder. With a free plugin and a single shortcode you can collect legally-binding signatures on any page in about five minutes. This guide walks through the whole process using MerchantKits Document Signatures — from install to a tested, working form.

What You'll Need

• A WordPress site running version 6.0 or newer (any host, any theme).
• The MerchantKits Document Signatures plugin — free, from the WordPress.org directory.
• About 5 minutes.

No coding, no external account, and no signup. Everything stays inside your own WordPress database.

Step 1 — Install the Plugin

From your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New and search for "MerchantKits Document Signatures". Click Install Now, then Activate.

Once active, a new Document Signatures menu appears in the admin sidebar. It has everything you need: a dashboard with stat cards, a Signatures list, a Documents manager, and Settings.

Step 2 — Configure Settings

Open Document Signatures → Settings and set the basics before you collect anything:

• Company name — appears in confirmation emails.
• Signature type — choose draw, type, or both as the site-wide default (you can override this per form).
• Email notifications — enable the signer confirmation email and the admin notification, and customize the subjects.
• Canvas options — set the pad height, background, and pen color to match your brand.

Save, and you're ready to build a form.

Step 3 — Create a Signature Form

First, create a document to sign. Go to Document Signatures → Documents, add a title and the agreement text, and save. Note the Document ID shown in the list.

Now drop the shortcode on any page or post:

[wpsv_signature document_id="1" title="Service Agreement"]

The shortcode accepts several attributes so you can tailor each form:

• document_id — links the form to a saved document.
• title — the heading shown above the form.
• description — optional intro text.
• button_text — the submit button label (e.g. "I Agree & Sign").
• type — draw, type, or both, overriding the global default.
• redirect — a URL to send signers to after a successful signature.

A fuller example:

[wpsv_signature document_id="1" title="Sign the NDA" type="both" button_text="Agree & Sign" redirect="/thank-you/"]

Publish the page and visitors will see a clean signing form — a canvas to draw on (or a text field that renders their name in a script font), name and email fields, an agreement checkbox, and your submit button.

Step 4 — Test Your Signature Form

Never launch a signing form without signing it yourself first. Open the page in a private/incognito window, fill in a name and email, draw or type a signature, and submit.

Then, back in the admin, open Document Signatures → Signatures. You'll see your test entry. Click it to open the detail view, which shows:

• The rendered signature image.
• The signer's name, email, IP address, and user agent.
• The timestamp.
• The SHA-256 integrity hash — a unique fingerprint of the signed record that proves it hasn't been altered.

If all of that is present, your form is working and your signatures are defensible.

Step 5 — Customize the Appearance

The form inherits your theme's fonts and colors, but you can go further:

• CSS classes — the form and its fields carry predictable class names you can target in your theme's stylesheet.
• Template override — copy the form template into your-theme/wpsv/signature-form.php and edit the markup directly, the same way WooCommerce template overrides work. Your changes survive plugin updates.

Advanced: Using the REST API

Every signature and document is available through a REST API under the wpsv/v1 namespace. That means you can pull signatures into another system, trigger automations, or build a custom dashboard.

For example, an authenticated request to the signatures endpoint returns the full audit record as JSON — ready to sync to a CRM or accounting tool. This opens up possibilities for custom integrations without touching the plugin's code.

Going Further with Pro

The free tier handles 50 signatures a month and everything above. If you outgrow it, Pro ($49/year, per site) adds WooCommerce order signing — collect a waiver or terms acknowledgement right on the order thank-you page — and an outgoing webhook system that fires when a signature is created or deleted, so you can push events to Zapier, Make, or your own endpoint.

If you're comparing options first, our roundup of the best WordPress eSignature plugins puts it side by side with the alternatives, and WordPress vs DocuSign covers when a plugin is enough versus when you truly need enterprise software.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this legally binding?

Yes, in most situations. Electronic signatures are recognized under the ESIGN Act (US) and eIDAS (EU), provided you capture intent, consent, and an audit trail — which this plugin does by default. See are electronic signatures legally binding? for the details.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes. The signing pad works with a finger on any touchscreen, and the form is fully responsive.

Can I use it with WooCommerce?

The shortcode works on any page, including order confirmation pages. Native order signing (a signature tied to a specific order, plus a "signed" column in the orders list) is a Pro feature.

What happens when I reach the free limit?

The free tier covers 50 signatures per calendar month. If you hit the limit, new signatures pause until the next month — or you can upgrade to Pro for unlimited signing. Existing records are never affected.