Verify Digital Signature in PDF
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Why Does My PDF Say “Signature Not Verified”?
If you've ever downloaded an e-Aadhaar card, a PAN card PDF, a digitally signed government certificate, or received an Aadhaar eSigned contract, you've likely seen one of these warnings in your PDF reader:
- “SIGNATURE NOT VERIFIED”
- “Signature validity is UNKNOWN”
- “At least one signature has problems”
- “The signer's identity is unknown”
This does NOT mean the signature is fake or invalid. The issue is that India's root certificate authority — the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) — is not pre-installed in Adobe Reader, Chrome's PDF viewer, or macOS Preview. Without the CCA root certificate, your PDF reader cannot verify the trust chain and shows a warning.
This affects every digitally signed Indian document — whether it's signed with a DSC token, Aadhaar eSign, or by a government portal.
How to Fix “Signature Validity Unknown” in Adobe Reader
To make Adobe Reader trust Indian digital signatures, you need to install the CCA root certificate:
- Download the CCA root certificate from cca.gov.in
- Open Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Go to Edit → Preferences → Signatures
- Click Identities & Trusted Certificates → More
- Click Trusted Certificates → Import
- Browse and select the downloaded CCA certificate file
- Check the boxes for “Use this certificate as a trusted root” and “Certified documents”
- Click OK and close Preferences
- Re-open your signed PDF — the signature should now show as valid
Alternatively, use the tool above to instantly check signature details without installing any certificates.
Types of Digital Signatures in India
Aadhaar eSign (IT Act Section 3A)
Uses Aadhaar OTP for identity verification. No USB token needed. Legally valid under Section 3A of the IT Act, 2000. Used by platforms like SignSetu for everyday document signing at ₹15 per signature.
Digital Signature Certificate — DSC (IT Act Section 3)
Uses a USB crypto token issued by a CCA-licensed CA. Required for MCA filings, ITR (companies), GST, and SEBI submissions. Governed by Section 3 of the IT Act.
Government Document Signatures
e-Aadhaar cards (UIDAI), PAN cards (Protean/NSDL), income tax documents, state government certificates (birth, caste, income, domicile) — all use digital signatures from CCA-licensed authorities or NIC.
Which Documents in India Are Digitally Signed?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this tool free?
Yes, completely free. No signup, no limits, no hidden charges.
Are my documents uploaded to a server?
No. All processing happens in your browser using JavaScript. Your PDF file never leaves your device.
Can this verify Aadhaar eSigned documents?
Yes. This tool identifies signatures from Aadhaar eSign (via eMudhra and other CCA-licensed authorities) and displays signer details, certificate info, and signing time.
Can this verify government certificate PDFs?
Yes. e-Aadhaar, PAN cards, state government certificates, and other officially signed PDFs can be checked with this tool.
What if the signature shows as expired?
An expired certificate means the signing certificate has passed its validity date. However, the signature was valid when it was applied. The document's legal validity depends on when it was signed, not when you check it.
Is a 'Signature Not Verified' warning the same as an invalid signature?
No. 'Signature Not Verified' usually means your PDF reader doesn't have India's CCA root certificate installed. The signature itself may be perfectly valid. Use this tool to check the actual signature details.
Need to sign your own documents?
Upload a PDF, verify with Aadhaar OTP, get your signed document in under 2 minutes. ₹15 per signature — no subscription, no DSC token.
Sign a Document NowSignatures created with SignSetu can be verified using this tool