DocuSign e-signature integration

From sequential approval to a legally binding signature in a single workflow.

Some documents need internal approval. Some documents need a legally binding signature. The distinction matters: an internal policy acknowledgment is different from a signed contract with a counterparty, and pretending otherwise is how organizations end up with disputed agreements or regulatory findings. docs365.ai covers both — internal approval through the native workflow, and binding signature through the DocuSign integration.

When DocuSign takes over

The DocuSign hand-off happens at the end of the approval flow, not in the middle. The typical sequence:

1. Author creates the document (from template, protocol code populated).
2. Sequential internal approval — Quality Manager, Legal Counsel, whoever the document type requires.
3. Final approver signs off. The flow’s last step, configured at the document-type level, routes the document to DocuSign.
4. DocuSign manages the signature step — signer identification, the actual signing event, signature application.
5. The signed PDF returns to the library with the approval and signature history intact.

So for documents that only need internal approval, DocuSign never gets involved. For documents that need binding execution, the handoff is automatic — no separate “send to DocuSign” step.

Signature formats supported

We support PAdES simple electronic signature and PAdES advanced electronic signature via DocuSign.

PAdES (PDF Advanced Electronic Signatures) is the PDF-specific signature standard defined by ETSI. The signature is embedded inside the PDF file cryptographically — the signature and the document are one artifact. This is the format we support.

Simple electronic signature — the basic e-signature tier. The signer’s identity is established by email verification or a similar mechanism. Suitable for most business contracts, NDAs, internal policy acknowledgments.

Advanced electronic signature — adds stricter identity verification (SMS authentication, knowledge-based authentication, ID document verification) and a signature certificate with additional integrity guarantees. Suitable for higher-stakes documents where basic e-signature is not enough.

What we don’t support — and why it matters

We do not support:

• CAdES (.p7m envelope format). CAdES is commonly used for signing non-PDF artifacts (images, Excel files) in some European contexts. Customers who need CAdES for specific document types maintain a parallel workflow for those documents.
• Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) under eIDAS — the SPID-style, identity-verified-token tier required for some regulatory contexts. DocuSign offers QES in some jurisdictions, but it’s not part of our integrated flow.

Being explicit about this matters: if your use case requires CAdES or QES, you’ll need a parallel signature workflow for those specific documents. For the majority of business e-signature needs, PAdES simple and advanced cover the ground.

What the audit trail captures

Every signature event is logged. The log captures:

• Who signed — the signer’s identity as verified by DocuSign’s signing process.
• When — timestamped to the minute, with a trusted timestamp from DocuSign’s infrastructure.
• What they signed — the specific PDF, with the signature cryptographically bound to that document.
• Under what authentication — simple, advanced, and any additional verification applied.
• The full internal approval history — the sequential approvals that preceded the signature are preserved on the returned document.

For regulatory contexts (21 CFR Part 11, ISO 9001 surveillance), this combined approval-plus-signature trail is the evidence artifact.

Licensing — who has access to DocuSign

DocuSign is available in three ways:

• Included in the Premium plan.
• Add-on at €2,150/year on Business, Enterprise, and Diamond plans.
• Not bundled separately — customers can’t add the integration without also licensing the product.

For organizations that don’t currently use DocuSign, adding it requires procurement on both sides — the intranet.ai add-on and a DocuSign subscription. For organizations that already run DocuSign, the integration ties their existing DocuSign tenant into the product’s approval flow.

When to route a document through DocuSign (and when to skip it)

Route through DocuSign when:

• The document will be countersigned by an external party (customer, supplier, partner).
• The document needs a legally binding signature under contract law.
• Regulatory evidence requires attribution to an identity-verified signer.
• Internal policy requires signature (vs. acknowledgment) for specific document types.

Skip DocuSign when:

• The document is an internal procedure or policy requiring only acknowledgment.
• The sequential approval + audit log is sufficient for the compliance framework.
• The document’s use doesn’t require signature evidence (e.g., shop-floor work instruction revisions).

The document-type configuration determines the default routing; the author can route individual documents differently when needed.

Related features

• Sequential approval — the internal workflow that precedes the DocuSign handoff.
• Audit log — how signature events appear alongside approval events.
• Legal industry page — applied to contracts and NDAs.
• Pharma industry page — applied to regulated-industry documentation under 21 CFR Part 11.

Lifecycle stage: Approve →