What PAdES levels do you support?

The two levels

PAdES simple. Email authentication plus the signer’s M365 credentials via click-through. The signature is cryptographically bound to the PDF — any modification invalidates it. Appropriate for internal signed policies, contracts with established partners, standard regulatory filings.

PAdES advanced. Adds identity verification at signing time. DocuSign performs SMS code verification, government-ID check, or knowledge-based authentication (KBA). The signer’s identity is independently verified before the signature is applied. Appropriate for high-value contracts with new counterparties, clinical-trial sponsor signatures, regulatory submissions where identity verification is expected.

How to choose between them

The most common pattern: simple for most signing, advanced for high-stakes subsets.

• High-value contracts above your organization’s defined threshold → advanced.
• Clinical-trial protocols, regulatory submissions to agencies → advanced.
• Contracts with new counterparties where no prior identity relationship exists → advanced.
• Everything else that needs cryptographic binding → simple.

Bulgari uses exactly this pattern — simple for routine signed contracts, advanced for high-value agreements and new counterparties. See the Bulgari case study.

What’s not supported

• CAdES signatures — different trust model. Customers with CAdES obligations run dedicated tools alongside.
• Qualified electronic signatures (eIDAS) — require a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) and a qualified signature-creation device. DocuSign provides advanced, not qualified.
• AGID-specific signing — Italian national signing modes (firma digitale, CNS smart-card) use a different trust infrastructure.

For customers with obligations in these specific modes, a separate specialized tool runs alongside the DMS. The DMS governs the document lifecycle; the specialized tool handles the specific signing mode; the signed output returns to the DMS for further governance if needed.

See the PAdES pillar guide for deeper context on when each level fits.