--- id: KB-CO-004 url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/consigne/what-you-are-left-with-as-evidence idioma: en categoria: consigne subcategoria: prueba modulo: consigne audiencia: usuario actualizado: 2026-08-12 tambienEn: [es] relacionados: [KB-CO-001, KB-CO-002, KB-SC-001] citadoPor: [KB-CO-001, KB-CO-002, KB-SC-003, KB-CR-004, KB-CO-018, KB-CO-020, KB-CO-021, KB-CR-006, KB-TZ-001] enLaApp: https://app.codecontract.io/verify/search --- # What you are left with as evidence when it finishes _The signed PDF, the timestamp, the evidence chain and how a third party checks it._ **Responde a:** how do I prove someone signed a document · what evidence remains from an electronic signature · verify a signed document · does the signature hold if I stop being a customer Signing is half the job. The other half is being able to prove it three years later, when nobody remembers and you may not even be using this platform any more. Here is what remains. **What is produced when a signature closes** — All four pieces travel with the document. The key point is that they can be checked without logging into Code Contract. ## The signed document A PDF with the signatures drawn where you placed them, plus an invisible cryptographic signature which is what actually certifies the file has not been touched since. It opens in any PDF reader, and readers that can validate signatures will tell you whether the document is intact. ## The timestamp It certifies when it was signed, and an independent third party certifies it, not us. That is what stops the date being arguable: without a timestamp, a file's date is whatever the computer opening it says. ## The evidence chain This is the full account of what happened: when each notice went out and on which channel, when the link was opened, from what device the signing took place, whether there was an SMS code and when it was validated. It is what you produce when someone disputes a signature, and it is the difference between "I think they signed" and "they signed on 12 August at 10:14 from a mobile, after validating the code sent to their number". ## How an outsider checks it There is a public verification page: anyone holding the document can confirm it corresponds to a registered signature, without an account and without asking your permission. That is what you hand a lawyer, a bank or a court when they want to confirm it themselves. > [!NOTE] > Being independently verifiable is precisely the point. Evidence only its issuer can confirm is worth considerably less. ## Frequently asked questions **Do I have to stay a customer for the signature to hold?** No. The signed PDF carries the signature and seal inside: it validates in any reader without depending on us. Download it and keep it wherever you like. **What if someone modifies the PDF afterwards?** Validation fails and it is immediately obvious: the signature no longer matches the content. That is exactly what it is for. **Can I download just the certificate, without the contract?** Yes. The signature certificate is a separate, readable document summarising who signed and when. Handy for attaching to a file without sending the whole contract. **How long is it kept?** The document and its evidence are kept according to your organisation's retention policy. If you need it longer on your own terms, download it: the file is self-contained. **Does it work outside Spain?** The electronic signature framework is European, so the same reasoning applies across the EU. Outside it, it depends on each country's law. ## Ejemplos **Two years after signing, a former employee claims they never accepted the confidentiality clause.** - Downloads the signed PDF and its evidence chain - Confirms on the public verification page that the document is intact - Hands the lawyer the signature certificate with date, time and code validation → Evidence the other side's lawyer can verify independently, without having to take your word for it or ours. **Only the PDF is kept and the context is lost.** - Keeps the document with its evidence chain → The proof travels with the document. **A third party wants to verify the signature themselves.** - Points them to the verification page → They check without depending on your word. **The PDF is re-saved with another program and stops validating.** - Keeps the file exactly as it was signed → Validation still works years later. **The proof is needed for a procedure.** - Provides the signed document and its evidence → A complete item is submitted. **Nobody knows exactly what the proof contains.** - Reviews the fields in the evidence chain → You know what can be asserted and what cannot.