What is a Signature Date Field?

A Signature Date Field automatically displays the signer’s actual signature date (and optionally time) on the signed document. It is read-only for signers and filled in once they sign.

Note: For Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES), the date corresponds to the moment when the signer starts their identification process, since the document content must be locked at that time to ensure integrity.

You can customize the date and time format, and optionally display a calculated date based on the signature date (e.g., signature date + 3 months). The timezone follows the Signature Request settings.

Signature Date Field creation

Before jumping to the creation options, let’s review the main characteristics of a Signature Date Field:

Parameters	Descriptions
`date_format`	Format used to display the date (e.g., `dd/MM/yyyy`, `MM/dd/yyyy`)
`time_format`	Format used to display the time. Can be null to display only the date, or a format like `HH:mm` or `hh:mm a`
`show_timezone`	Boolean indicating whether to display the timezone abbreviation (e.g., `CEST`) next to the time.
`offset_unit`	Unit of time used to offset the signature date. When `null`, the field will display the exact signature date.
`offset_value`	Number of units to add to the signature date. Ignored if `offset_unit` is `null`. For example, use `offset_unit: "month"` and `offset_value: 3` to display "signature date + 3 months"
`font`	Define the font family, color, size, and style variant configuration.

Signature Date Field creation with Smart Anchors

Smart Anchors allow you to insert a Signature Date within your document using this pattern:

Pattern: {{signer_index|signature_date|format|show_timezone|offset|name}}
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Format: optional string indicating how the signature date is displayed. It is the date format (e.g., dd/MM/yyyy) optionally followed by a time format (e.g., HH:mm), separated by a space.
If no format is provided, the default is dd/MM/yyyy.
See API reference for all accepted formats.
- Examples:
  - Date only: "dd/MM/yyyy"
  - Date + time: "dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm"
offset: optional string indicating the delay to apply after the signature date.
- Format: <number><unit>
- Allowed units: D = day, M = month, Y = year
- Pattern (regex): ([0-9]{1,3})( Allo)
- Example: 3M = 3 months
Optional parameters: format, show_timezone, offset, and name are all optional, but their | separators are always required, even if empty.
Examples: {{s1|signature_date||||}}, {{s1|signature_date|dd/MM/yyyy|||Date1}}, {{s1|signature_date|dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm|t|3M|Date2}}

The Signers index (s1, s2, s3, etc) is determined by the Signers order in the Signature Request. If the index references a non-existent Signer, the Field won’t be created.

Signature Date Field creation with API endpoints

To create a Signature Date using the API endpoints:

Add a Signature Date to an existing Signer using this endpoint:/POST /fields/{signatureRequestId}/documents/{documentId}/fields

Customisation

A Signature Date Field can be customised to fit your needs:

Date format: choose among multiple formats, for example
- dd/MM/YYYY → 27/01/2025
- MM/dd/YYYY → 01/27/2025
- MMMM dd, YYYY → January 27, 2025
Time format: optionally display the time in 24h or 12h format.
Timezone: optionally display the timezone abbreviation (e.g., CEST).
Appearance: configure the font family, color, size, and style variants (same options as Text Fields).