# Requesting signatures and adding fields

> Send documents out for signature: pick files and staff, set a due date, place signature fields on a PDF, then track and cancel requests.

Canonical: https://enmantle.com/help/request-signatures · Section: Onboarding & HR · Updated: 2026-08-07

When you need staff to sign something — a policy, an offer, an onboarding form — you send it from `Signature Requests`. This guide covers sending requests, placing fields on a document, and tracking them after.

Open `Signature Requests` (`/dashboard/signatures`). Sending requests is available to admins, directors, and managers. The feature runs off the `E-Signature System` toggle, which is on by default.

## Send a request

1. Click **Request Signatures**.
2. Pick the documents to send. These come from your Files — categories like "Policies & Procedures", "Onboarding", and "Offer Letters".
3. Choose the staff who need to sign. Use `Select All Staff` to send to everyone at once.
4. Optionally set a due date.
5. Click **Send N Request(s)**.

Enmantle creates one request per file per person, so each staff member signs their own copy. Every recipient sees it in their [My Signatures](/help/sign-documents-my-signatures) list.

## Two kinds of documents

How a document gets signed depends on its type:

- **Whole-document** — the signer reads it, ticks an agreement checkbox, and signs once for the entire document. Nothing to place.
- **Field-based** — you place specific fields on the PDF, and the signer fills exactly those spots. This produces a merged, signed PDF.

Choose field-based when you need signatures, initials, or dates in precise places — a multi-page policy or an acknowledgment with several sign-off points.

## Place fields on a PDF

For a field-based document, position the fields where the signer should act:

1. `SIGNATURE` — where they draw their full signature.
2. `INITIALS` — for initialing a page or clause.
3. `DATE_SIGNED` — where the signing date is recorded.

Place each field on the page where it belongs. When the person signs, Enmantle drops their hand-drawn marks into those exact positions and merges everything into the final signed PDF.

> Signatures are hand-drawn on Enmantle — there's no typed signing. Your job as the sender is to place *where* they sign; the signer draws the actual mark.

## Track requests

Back on `Signature Requests`, each request carries a status badge:

- `Pending` — sent, not yet signed.
- `Signed` — done.
- `Declined` — the person declined.
- `Expired` — the due date passed without signing.

Watch `Pending` and `Expired` and follow up with anyone who hasn't signed.

## Cancel or download

- **Cancel** a request that's still `Pending` if you sent it in error or no longer need it.
- **Download** the signed PDF once a request reads `Signed`, for your records or the person's file.

## Tie a request to onboarding

A request can be linked to an onboarding checklist, so signing it helps move that hire's onboarding along. To manage the files you send from, see [Managing company files](/help/manage-company-files).