Verify a signed document
Check whether a document is genuine. Verify a signed PDF against its sealed fingerprint, or inspect a statement, payslip or invoice for the marks editing leaves behind. Free, no account. Scan its QR code, paste the verification code, or upload the file, no account needed.
Drop the document here to check it. PDF, Word or Excel. For a document sealed by PDF Verified the fingerprint is recomputed and compared to the original. For anything else, the file is read forensically for the marks editing leaves behind. Free, no account, and the file is never uploaded to check it.
Every document signed with PDF Verified carries a QR code and a SHA-256 fingerprint on every page. Scan the code, paste it, or upload the PDF to confirm the signatures are authentic and the file has not been altered, backed by a full, tamper-evident audit trail.
Document verification, in one paragraph
Document verification answers one question: is this file the document it claims to be, unchanged since it was signed. For a document sealed here that is arithmetic rather than opinion. A SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact bytes was recorded at completion, and checking recomputes it and compares. A match means the file is the original. A change of one character, one pixel, one comma produces a completely different fingerprint and the check fails, in about two seconds, with no account needed by whoever is checking.
Checking a document that was not signed here
Most documents people need to check were made somewhere else: a bank statement supporting a loan, a payslip supporting a tenancy, an invoice supporting a claim, a certificate supporting an application. There is no sealed fingerprint to compare against, so the question changes from "is this unchanged" to "does this file look like what it claims to be", which is document inspection rather than verification.
That is a forensic read of the file rather than a look at the page. A PDF records how it was produced, which software wrote it and when, whether it was saved incrementally after signing, whether its fonts are consistent across a figure that was edited, and whether the text layer agrees with the image on a scan. A forged bank statement almost never looks wrong. It very often reads wrong, because the person editing it changed the numbers and not the file’s account of itself.
What forgery actually looks like
- A document produced by an image editor rather than by the bank’s statement system, which the producer metadata says outright
- One figure in a different font, or the same font at a slightly different size, where a number was replaced
- An incremental save after the signature, which means the file was modified after it was signed
- A text layer that does not match the picture on a scan, which happens when a number is painted over and the OCR underneath still says the original
- A page whose dimensions differ from the rest, which is what a substituted page looks like
- A pasted signature image with no audit trail behind it, which is the most common forgery of all because it is the easiest
Who checks documents, and why they cannot take them on trust
Lenders and mortgage brokers screening statements and payslips. Landlords and letting agents checking references and proof of income. Accountants and auditors accepting invoices and receipts. HR teams checking qualifications and right to work. Insurers assessing claims. Procurement teams accepting supplier certificates. In every one of those, accepting a forged document costs real money and the loss lands on the person who accepted it, which is why "it looked fine" is not an answer anybody wants to give afterwards.
How PDF verification works
- Scan or upload - Scan the QR code printed on the signed PDF, paste its verification code, or upload the PDF file.
- Compare the fingerprint - PDF Verified recomputes the SHA-256 fingerprint and compares it with the sealed completion record.
- Read the result - See whether the document is authentic, tampered, expired, revoked, or still waiting for signatures.
What you can verify
- Electronic signatures and signer timestamps
- Company seals, approval stamps, and serial numbers
- Certificate of completion and audit trail details
- Whether a PDF was edited after signing
- Whether a document is authentic, revoked, expired, or tampered
Frequently asked questions
Can I check if a PDF has been edited?
Yes. Upload the signed PDF or scan its QR code. PDF Verified recomputes the SHA-256 fingerprint and compares it with the value sealed when the document was completed. If the PDF was edited, verification fails.
Do recipients need a PDF Verified account to verify a document?
No. Verification pages are public. Banks, courts, clients, auditors, and counterparties can scan the QR code or paste the verification code without logging in.
What does the verification page show?
The verification page shows document status, completion date, signer list, timestamps, SHA-256 fingerprint, audit trail, and any verified stamp or company seal records.
What PDF Verified is, and what it is not
These checks are a screen, not a verdict. A clean result means nothing was found by the checks that were run, which is not the same as proof that a document is genuine, and a flagged result can have an innocent explanation such as a re-save or a scan. Read the findings rather than the headline, and where a decision carries real consequences, confirm the document with the party that issued it. It is a tool for examining a document, not for producing a forged or altered one.
PDF Verified is a tool for preparing, signing, stamping and checking documents. It is not a law firm, a compliance service or a forensic examiner, and nothing here is legal, financial or compliance advice. Requirements differ by country, by document type and by the party asking, so check what applies to your document before you rely on it, and take advice where the document matters. You are responsible for the documents you create, sign and send, and for having the authority to do so: signing or stamping in somebody else name, or as an organisation you do not represent, is forgery whatever tool is used. To the extent the law allows, we accept no liability for how a document made with this tool is used or relied on. The full position is in our terms of service.