How to Sign a Letter of Intent Online (Free, No Printing)

To sign a letter of intent online, open the LOI in a free signer such as Docsigns, draw, type or upload your signature, drag it onto the signature line, add the date, and download the signed PDF to send back. It takes a couple of minutes, needs no printer and no account, and the output has no watermark. Before you sign, though, it's worth knowing which parts of a letter of intent can bind you, because that's the bit people skip.

This guide covers the signing steps on a computer or phone, what to check in the letter first, how the other party adds their signature, and the situations where a simple electronic signature isn't the right tool.

What a letter of intent actually is

A letter of intent (LOI) sets out the main terms two parties expect to agree before they sign a full contract. You'll see them in many settings:

• Buying or selling a business, where the LOI outlines price, structure and a timeline for due diligence.
• Commercial leases, where a tenant and landlord agree rent, term and fit-out before lawyers draft the lease.
• Supplier and partnership deals, covering volumes, pricing or a joint project.
• Job offers and hiring, in some industries and countries, as a step before the employment contract.
• Grant and funding applications, where a partner confirms they intend to take part.

In practice, "letter of intent", "memorandum of understanding" and "term sheet" are often used for similar documents. What matters is not the title but what the wording says.

Is a letter of intent binding once you sign it?

Often only partly. Many LOIs say plainly that the main deal terms are non-binding and that nothing is final until a definitive agreement is signed. But the same letter frequently contains a few clauses that are written to be binding straight away, such as:

• Confidentiality: you agree not to share what you learn during negotiations.
• Exclusivity or "no-shop": you agree not to negotiate with anyone else for a set period.
• Costs: who pays for lawyers, surveys or due diligence.
• Governing law: which country's or state's law applies.

And if a letter doesn't clearly say which parts are non-binding, a court could treat more of it as an agreement than you expected. So read the "binding" and "non-binding" sections closely before you sign, and if the deal is significant, have a lawyer look at it. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Are electronic signatures valid on an LOI?

For most everyday agreements, yes. Electronic signatures are recognised under laws such as the ESIGN Act and UETA in the United States and eIDAS in the European Union, and many other countries have equivalent rules. An LOI is normally an ordinary business document, so an electronic signature is typically fine, provided both sides are happy to sign that way.

There are exceptions. Some documents, such as certain property transfers, wills and some financial instruments, need a wet-ink signature, a witness, a notary or a qualified electronic signature backed by a certificate from a trust service provider. Docsigns creates a standard electronic signature, not a certificate-based qualified one. If the other party, a regulator or your lawyer asks for a qualified or notarised signature, use a service that provides one.

How to sign a letter of intent with Docsigns

1. Get the file. Save the LOI from your email or chat app. PDF, DOC and DOCX are all supported.
2. Open the signer. Go to docsigns.online and upload the document.
3. Create your signature. Draw it with a mouse, trackpad or finger; type your name and pick one of six cursive fonts; or upload a photo or scan of your handwritten signature. You can choose the pen colour, including black or blue.
4. Place it. Scroll to the signature block, usually on the last page under "Accepted and agreed". Drag the signature onto the line and resize it so it sits naturally.
5. Add the date. Place a date next to your signature and choose a format that matches the document, for example the one already used in the letter's header.
6. Initial other pages if asked. Some LOIs ask for initials on each page. Create a smaller signature with your initials and place it on every page that needs one.
7. Download the signed PDF. Check every page, then save it with a clear name, such as LOI-signed-2026-10-12.pdf.

The how it works page walks through the same three-step flow.

A quick note on privacy

Letters of intent often contain sensitive numbers, so it helps to know where the file goes. When you sign a PDF in Docsigns, the signing happens in your browser and the PDF is not uploaded. A Word file (DOC or DOCX) is different: it is first sent to a server to be converted to PDF, and then signed. If you'd rather nothing leaves your device, export the letter to PDF from Word yourself (File > Save As > PDF) and sign that PDF.

Signing on a phone

LOIs often arrive while you're away from a desk. Docsigns works in a mobile browser, so the steps are the same:

• On iPhone, save the attachment to Files, then upload it from there.
• On Android, the attachment usually lands in Downloads.
• Drawing with a finger works, but a typed signature in a cursive font is often neater on a small screen.
• Zoom in before placing the signature so it lands exactly on the line.

Getting the other party's signature

Most LOIs need two signatures: yours and the other side's. Docsigns doesn't send signing requests or track who has signed; it signs the document in front of you. The usual way to handle this is simple:

1. One party signs and dates the PDF and emails it to the other.
2. The other party opens that signed PDF in Docsigns (or any signer), adds their own signature and date on their line, and downloads it.
3. They send the fully signed copy back, and both sides keep it.

Agree in advance who signs first, and make sure both of you work on the same final version. Signing an older draft by mistake is one of the most common problems with LOIs, because they often go through several rounds of changes.

What to check before you sign

Check	Why it matters
Which clauses are binding	Confidentiality, exclusivity and cost clauses can apply immediately
Exclusivity period	You may be unable to talk to other buyers, tenants or suppliers for weeks or months
Expiry date of the offer	Some LOIs lapse if not signed by a deadline
Party names and your title	Sign for the right company and in the right capacity
Numbers and dates	Price, rent or start date should match what you discussed
Version	Make sure it's the final draft, not an earlier one

If you are signing for a company, write your name and job title under the signature if the letter has space for it, so it's clear you're signing on the company's behalf.

After signing: keep a clean record

• Store the final PDF with the email thread that delivered it. Docsigns doesn't keep a copy or an audit trail, so your saved file and emails are the record.
• Diarise the dates: the end of any exclusivity period and the deadline for the full agreement.
• Don't edit the signed file. If terms change, sign a new version or an addendum rather than altering the old one.

When to use a different tool

Docsigns is designed for the common case: one person with a document who needs to sign it now. If you need a workflow that emails signers, enforces a signing order, verifies identities or produces an audit trail, a dedicated e-signature platform is the better fit. The same goes for any document that legally requires a qualified signature or a notary. For more on what Docsigns does and doesn't do, see the about page, or browse other signing guides on the Docsigns blog.