How attestations work in ClearPolicy

Learn how ClearPolicy sends attestation requests, what recipients experience on the signing page, and what gets recorded when a request is completed.

An attestation is the record created when a recipient confirms they have read and agreed to a document. ClearPolicy manages the full workflow: sending a request by email, guiding the recipient through a simple completion page, and storing a tamper-evident record of the response. No accounts, apps, or downloads are required for recipients.

How recipients complete a request

New attestation requests collect an electronic signature: the recipient reads the document, types their full name, and confirms.

Older requests may have used acknowledgment only (confirm without a typed name). Those historical records stay valid. New requests always use the signature path — there is no longer a separate acknowledgment type to choose when sending.

How requests are sent

When you send an attestation request, ClearPolicy:

1. Creates a request record linked to the specific document revision and the recipient.
2. Stores the recipient’s name and email on the request at the time it is sent.
3. Generates a unique, personal token for that recipient.
4. Sends an email to the recipient containing a link that includes their token.

Each link is specific to one person and one request — it cannot be used by anyone else.

Open requests keep the name and email from when they were sent. If you later edit the person’s profile, pending requests still use the original recipient details. Request emails and reminders go to the address on the request, not the person’s current email.

The recipient experience

The recipient clicks the link in their email and lands on a public page that shows the document content. The page requires no team member account. They type their full name as a signature and submit.

Once submitted, the page confirms their completion and offers a downloadable receipt for online completions.

If the person has other pending document requests, the page also shows those documents in a Pending requests section. After the person completes the current document, they can click Review next document to continue with another pending request.

If the sender included a recipient message, it appears as a highlighted note on the attestation page and in the email, giving the recipient additional context about why they received the request.

If the request has an expiration deadline, the attestation page displays a warning banner with the deadline so the recipient knows when they need to complete it. The expiration date also appears in the request details on the page.

Finding requests without the email link

People can also open the signing portal with a one-time code sent to their email (no password). There they see pending and completed requests for that address across organizations, so they can finish work or open a completed document again if they lost the original message.

If someone loses a request email, you can send a reminder with the personal link, or point them to the signing portal.

What gets recorded

When a recipient completes a request online, ClearPolicy creates an attestation record that captures:

• Timestamp — the exact date and time of completion.
• IP address — the network address of the device used.
• User agent — the browser and operating system information.
• Signature name — the name the recipient typed.
• Document hash — a cryptographic fingerprint of the document content at the time of signing, used to verify the document has not been altered.

These details form an auditable electronic record that can be downloaded as a receipt with a certificate of attestation.

When a team member records paper on file instead, ClearPolicy stores the uploaded signed paper copy, the completion timestamp, and which team member recorded it — not the electronic signature fields above.

Request lifecycle

An attestation request moves through the following statuses:

Sent

The email has been delivered to the recipient. They have not yet opened the attestation link.

Viewed

The recipient has opened their personal link and viewed the document.

Attested

The recipient has completed the request. A permanent attestation record has been created.

Canceled

The request was canceled before the recipient completed it. A request can be canceled manually by your team, or automatically by ClearPolicy when a newer revision supersedes the one the request was sent for.

Expired

The request passed its expiration date without being completed. Expired requests can no longer be completed by the recipient. You can configure requests to expire automatically in your organization settings.

Bounced

The request email bounced and could not be delivered to the recipient’s inbox.

Delivery failed

The request email could not be sent or was rejected by the recipient’s mail provider.

Complained

The recipient or their mail provider marked the request email as spam.

Delivery failure statuses reflect pending requests whose latest email could not be delivered. ClearPolicy pauses reminders for a request while it needs delivery follow-up. Other open requests for the same person are not affected. To try again, open the request, click Review, and either retry delivery to the same address or update the email and resend.

Superseded requests

When you publish a new revision of a document and send fresh requests, ClearPolicy automatically cancels any pending requests that were tied to an older revision of the same document for the same person. This keeps your request list clean and ensures recipients only receive the latest version.

For example, if you sent a request for version 1 of a policy and then published version 2 and sent new requests, any still-pending version 1 requests are automatically canceled. The activity log for each canceled request shows “Superseded by a newer revision” so you can see exactly why it was closed.

Only pending requests are affected. Requests that have already been completed, expired, or manually canceled are not changed.

Sending reminders

If a request is still pending, you can send the recipient a reminder email. The reminder delivers the same personal link to their inbox so they can complete the request without searching for the original email. You can also set up automatic reminders to follow up with recipients on a schedule.

ClearPolicy does not send reminders while a request needs delivery follow-up. See when reminders are not sent for how to follow up after a bounce or delivery problem.

Use reminders to follow up with people who have viewed but not yet completed a request — this is often the most effective nudge to drive completions.

Paper on file

Electronic completion is the default path: the person opens their link and finishes the request online. When someone cannot or will not complete online — for example wet ink is required, they prefer paper, or they cannot use the link for that step — a team member can still keep a complete record in ClearPolicy.

Paper on file means a team member records that they obtained a wet-ink signature or paper acknowledgment on a pending request and uploads the signed paper copy (PDF or image). A file is always required.

What happens

1. An authorized team member opens a pending request.
2. They choose Record paper signature.
3. They upload the signed paper copy and confirm they obtained the wet-ink completion from that person.
4. ClearPolicy marks the request complete for that document revision. Compliance status for that revision updates the same way as an electronic completion (typically Compliant when the request is on the latest published revision).
5. Reminders stop for that request. Activity shows Paper Signature Recorded.

How paper differs from electronic completion

	Electronic	Paper on file
Who completes	The person, online	A team member records after collecting paper
Evidence stored	Typed name (for signatures), timestamp, IP, browser, document hash	Uploaded signed paper copy, timestamp, team member who recorded it
Download label	Download signed document	Download uploaded file
Status note	Completed online	Paper on file
Certificate	Electronic attestation certificate included	No electronic certificate

Paper on file is not an electronic signature under ESIGN or UETA. Prefer electronic completion whenever it is practical. Use paper on file when you need one place for compliance tracking and the person cannot finish online.

For the step-by-step workflow, see record paper on file.

Downloadable receipts

Once a request is completed online, a PDF receipt is available for download. The receipt includes the document content, the attestation details (timestamp, IP address, type), the signature name if applicable, and an electronic certificate of attestation.

ClearPolicy digitally signs those electronic certificate PDFs before download. A valid signature helps confirm that the PDF was issued by ClearPolicy and has not been changed after it was sealed. This seal is separate from the person’s electronic signature (typed name, timestamp, IP address, and document hash on the attestation record). Some PDF readers may show ClearPolicy’s signing certificate as self-issued or not trusted by a public certificate authority; that alone does not mean the file was altered. For more detail, see Security.

For paper on file completions, choose Download uploaded file to get the signed paper copy your team uploaded. There is no electronic certificate for paper completions.