Two ways to witness
When you add a signer, tick Needs a witness. Business and above Then allow one way, or both:
- On the signer’s device. After signing, the signer hands their phone or computer to the witness, who fills in their part there and then. The witness is recorded as seeing it in person.
- By the witness’s own link. Refrendo emails the witness, who opens their own link and says whether they saw the signing in person or over a video call.
Name the witness when you send, or leave the signer to name them. Reminders go to a witness who hasn’t acted, the same as to anyone else.
What the witness declares
The witness sees the pages with their own fields, such as their signature and their name, and fills them in. Before they finish, they confirm, word for word:
“I saw [the signer] sign this document in person (or over a video call), that I am at least 18, and that I am not a party to it.”
A witness who didn’t see the signing can say so instead. The signer is told and names someone else, up to three times, after which you can allow more.
On the certificate
The completion certificate lists the witness as “Witness for” the signer, with how they saw it, in person or over a video call, and their declaration under Statements confirmed, in the words they agreed to. Like everything else on the request, it sits on the tamper-evident audit trail.
Whether a witness is enough
Refrendo records who witnessed a signature, how they say they saw it, and what they declared. It doesn’t decide whether that meets the requirement for a particular document. That depends on the document, the parties and the state, and it is for the parties to decide.
Some documents set their own rules about who may witness and how. Wills, powers of attorney and statutory declarations each have their own, often with a qualified witness such as a lawyer or a justice of the peace, and some must be signed on paper. Are electronic signatures valid in Australia? summarises them by state.
This is general information, not legal advice. If a document has to be witnessed, check how with your lawyer before you send it.