How to sign a contract digitally with legal validity in Costa Rica

Signing a contract digitally with legal validity is not complicated, but it does require understanding the process to do it right. This guide takes you from zero — from preparing the document to having the contract signed, archived, and with its signing history.

What you need before you start

With ArcaSign you can sign in two ways: by hand (a drawn signature, no certificate or installation) or with a certified digital signature issued by the BCCR (Law 8454, available today for Costa Rica). In practice:

• The drawn signature can be used by anyone from the browser, without their own certificate — ideal for your counterparty.
• The certified digital signature requires the BCCR certificate and its reader; it gives the highest legal standing in Costa Rica.
• The final document is a PDF with the signature embedded, verifiable by third parties.

With ArcaSign, you upload the document, add the signers, and send; the system handles the rest.

Step 1: prepare the document

Before uploading it to any platform, check:

• That the PDF is ready to sign. No critical empty fields, no draft pages, no internal comments the counterparty should not see.
• That the file name is descriptive. Instead of contract_final_v3_revised.pdf, use something like Services-Agreement-CompanyXYZ-2026.pdf. That makes future searches and the audit trail easier.
• That the size is reasonable. Contracts rarely exceed 2 MB. If your PDF weighs 20 MB, it probably has uncompressed images you should resolve before signing it.

Step 2: create the signature request in ArcaSign

1. Sign in to app.arcasign.com and click + New request.
2. Upload the contract PDF.
3. Add the contract signers. On the free plan you can add up to 2 signers to the same request.
4. Enter each signer’s details: name, email address, and, if applicable, ID number for verification.
5. Set the expiration date of the request. A contract nobody signed after 30 days probably needs follow-up or review.

Step 3: position the signatures in the document

ArcaSign lets you indicate exactly where the signature should appear in the PDF. You can drag the signature field to the blank space you reserved in the document (the typical _________________________).

If the document has multiple pages with signatures on different sheets — common in long contracts — you can add one field per page.

Step 4: send the request

Once everything is configured, you click Send. The system:

1. Notifies each signer by email with a unique, secure link.
2. Keeps a record of when the link was opened, from which device, and from which country (useful for auditing).
3. Embeds the signature in the document when the signer confirms.

For the by-hand signature, the signer installs nothing and needs no ArcaSign account: they open the link, read the document, and sign from the browser. For the certified digital signature, the first time they install the desktop signer, guided step by step by the app.

Step 5: verify the signed document

When all signers have signed, you receive the final PDF with:

• The signatures embedded in the document
• A verification code that anyone can use to confirm the document’s authenticity at any time
• The signing history: who signed, when, and from which IP

This file is your legal proof. Keep it in a safe place and give a copy to the counterparty.

Step 6: file it in the case file

ArcaSign automatically organizes signed documents into case files by company or project. But it is good practice to also:

• Keep a copy in your internal file system (Google Drive, SharePoint, your server)
• Register the contract in your management system if you keep one
• Note the renewal date in your calendar if the contract has one

Common mistakes when signing contracts digitally

Sending the draft instead of the final document. It sounds obvious, but it happens more than expected. Set up an internal review process before sending any request.

Uploading the document with still-editable fields or draft pages. Check that the PDF is the final version before sending it: no fields left to fill in and no internal notes the counterparty should not see.

Forgetting the expiration date. A request that never expires can stay in limbo for months. Always set a reasonable deadline.

Assuming any electronic signature is enough. For high-value contracts or those with possible future litigation, make sure to use a signature with a BCCR certificate, not just a simple electronic signature.

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Still signing contracts by hand? Try ArcaSign for free and sign your first contract today.