---
title: "E-signatures for partnership agreements · Attest"
description: "Have every partner sign the same partnership or operating agreement, keep the ownership split private, and prove the partnership exists without sharing it."
url: https://attest.datahubz.com/use-cases/partnership-agreements
updated: 2026-10-12
---

[Attest](https://attest.datahubz.com/)/[Use cases](https://attest.datahubz.com/use-cases)

# E-signatures for partnership agreements

Have every partner sign the same final version, and keep proof of who signed it and when that still holds years later: with Attest, each partner approves with a passkey only they control, the agreement is end-to-end encrypted so its ownership split and contributions stay private, and every partner keeps the same sealed copy, which anyone can verify for free, even without Attest. When a bank, a customer or a new partner needs to know the partnership exists, a partner who signed can share a zero-knowledge proof that they, or they and a named co-signer, signed it, and the date it was completed, without revealing its terms.

By DataHubz · Updated October 12, 2026 · 6 min read

## Two kinds of partnership agreement

**Between co-owners.** The U.S. Small Business Administration calls partnerships "the simplest structure for two or more people to own a business together". The owners' agreement, a partnership agreement or, for an LLC, an operating agreement, usually sets out what each partner contributes, how ownership and profits are shared, how decisions are made and what happens when a partner leaves. Registering the business is a separate step: the SBA notes that "If your business is a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or nonprofit corporation, you'll probably need to register with any state where you conduct business activities." Attest is for the agreement among the owners; the state filing follows the state's own process.

**Between companies.** Referral, reseller, co-marketing, joint venture and strategic partnership agreements set out who does what, who pays whom and what each side may say about the other. They often start with an NDA: see [how to sign an NDA you can prove](https://attest.datahubz.com/use-cases/nda).

With Attest, either kind is a PDF of up to 8 MB that you upload, with up to 20 signers.

## Every partner, the same version

A partnership agreement may be tested years after signing, with a question nobody can answer from memory: which draft did everyone sign? With Attest, all the partners sign one document, and it completes only when the last partner signs.

- **One version for everyone.** Each partner's passkey signs a statement that names the agreement's **fingerprint** (a SHA-256 hash, a short code calculated from the file's contents) and everything that partner entered. If one partner had a draft with a different profit split, its fingerprint wouldn't match.
- **Each partner's own key.** A **passkey** is a cryptographic key only the signer controls, unlocked with Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello or the device PIN, and registered to that partner's email address.
- **The order of events.** Each partner's signing time is in the statement their passkey signs, and the completed agreement is anchored on Horizen, a public blockchain, whose block time shows when the finished agreement was recorded.
- **One copy, held by all.** Every partner downloads the same sealed PDF: the signed pages, with a "Signed with Attest" stamp on each signature and a seal line at the foot of every page, a certificate of completion, the audit trail up to completion and a "Verify it yourself, without us" page, with the full evidence, the original document and a standalone verifier attached inside.

Change one byte of the agreement, of any partner's entries or of the signed pages, and verification fails. Because the verifier inside the PDF runs in any browser, even if Attest is gone, the proof lasts as long as the business.

## Partners in different places

Each partner signs in a web browser, on a phone or a computer, with nothing to install, no account and nothing to pay. Everyone can be emailed at once and sign in any order, or you can set an order, for example with the managing partner signing last. If you are a partner and add yourself, you are never emailed: your turn shows under **Action needed** in your dashboard. The first time a partner signs with Attest, they set up a passkey from their link, and you release the encrypted agreement to them with your passkey. Reminders go out every 3 days by default, and the certificate of completion lists each partner's name and signing time. For how the law treats electronic signatures country by country, see [are electronic signatures legally binding](https://attest.datahubz.com/legal/are-electronic-signatures-legally-binding).

## When a partner joins or leaves

Partnerships change: a partner joins, one leaves, shares are adjusted. Sign each change as its own document, such as an amendment, an admission agreement or a withdrawal agreement, that names the agreement it changes and is signed by the partners it binds. Each one gets its own fingerprint, certificate and anchor, so the partnership's history is a dated series of signed records that the partners hold.

## Keep the split private

A partnership agreement states who owns how much, who put in what, and how profits are divided. Most e-signature services describe their protection as encryption in transit and at rest, and describe no end-to-end mechanism, so their systems can decrypt the documents they store. We compared 21 e-signature services in October 2026, Attest and 20 others, and [Attest was the only one](https://attest.datahubz.com/compare/which-e-signature-services-can-read-your-documents) that end-to-end encrypts every document, for every signer, by default. Attest encrypts the agreement in your browser before upload, only its parties can open it, in their own browsers, and Attest stores it only as ciphertext it can't read.

Attest does see the information around the document, such as its title, file name, note and the signers' emails and names. Use a plain title, such as "Partnership agreement, amendment 2", and choose **Private** under Verification, so that only the parties see the agreement's certificate, which otherwise shows anyone with its link the title and each signer's name and signing time, among other details.

## Prove the partnership exists without showing the agreement

A bank opening an account, a customer checking a reseller, or a supplier extending credit may ask whether a partnership is in place. Often they don't need its terms. On a completed agreement you signed, **Share proof** creates a **zero-knowledge proof**: a proof that a statement is true which reveals nothing beyond the statement. You choose one of two statements:

- **That you signed it**, with the date the agreement was completed.
- **That you and another signer signed it**, such as your co-owner or the partner company's signatory, with the same completion date.

The recipient sees the email addresses, the completion date, and that the proof is valid and where its record is anchored; the document and its terms, its title and any other signer are never shown. A proof names email addresses, so "a partnership with Acme" means a co-signer's address at Acme. Each proof is submitted to zkVerify for independent verification, and anyone can check it for free. See [proving a partnership or contract is in place](https://attest.datahubz.com/guides/prove-partnership-confidentially) and [how to share proof that you signed](https://attest.datahubz.com/how-to/share-proof-you-signed).

## How to send a partnership agreement

1. Open **Documents** in the menu (it reads **Agreements** on accounts that use every Attest tool) and click **New agreement**.
2. Give it a plain **Title**, click **Attach the document to be signed** and choose the final PDF.
3. Under **Signers**, type each partner's email address, clicking **\+ Add signer** for each one, and check **Add me as a signer (sign in-app, no email)** if you are a partner.
4. To set an order, choose **In order** under **Signing order** and list the partners in that order.
5. Under **Verification**, choose **Private**.
6. Click **Next: place the fields**, place a signature field and a date signed field for each partner, plus initials on each page if your agreement asks for them, and click **Create and send**.
7. When a partner who is new to Attest has set up their key, Attest emails you. Click **Unlock it for …** in that email (or open the agreement in Attest), confirm, and approve with your passkey: your browser releases it to them, never Attest.
8. When it's your turn, the agreement shows under **Action needed** (you get no email for it): click **Sign** on its row. When everyone has signed, each partner opens the signed copy and clicks **Download signed copy**.

## What it costs

Your first 2 documents are free, in total: enough for a partnership agreement and its first amendment. After that, the Signing plan is $5 a month for 20 documents sent for signature, and you can cancel any time. The partners you invite never pay, on any plan, and Share proof is included on every plan.

## Questions people ask

Is a partnership agreement signed electronically legally binding?

Electronic signatures are recognized for most agreements in the United States (the ESIGN Act and UETA) and the European Union (eIDAS). Some documents, such as wills or certain notarized deeds, have special rules in many places: check yours. Under ESIGN, a contract "may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because an electronic signature or electronic record was used in its formation" (15 U.S.C. 7001(a)(2)). This is general information, not legal advice.

Do all the partners have to sign at the same time?

No. Each partner signs from their own link whenever they are ready, in any order or in the order you set. The agreement completes when the last partner signs. Attest reminds the partners whose turn it is every 3 days by default: everyone who hasn't signed, or in a set order only the current partner, counted from the start of their turn.

What if one partner refuses to sign?

Any signer can decline, which closes the agreement for every party and emails you. You can also void an agreement that isn't completed and send a revised version: the partners who haven't signed are emailed that it was withdrawn.

Can partners in different countries sign?

Yes. Signing runs in the web browser anywhere, and the audit trail in the signed copy records each step in UTC, so every partner sees one timeline. Which law governs the agreement, and any formalities it requires, depends on the countries involved.

Can I prove to a bank that we have a partnership agreement without showing it?

Yes, if you signed it. Share proof creates a zero-knowledge proof that you, or you and a named co-signer, signed an agreement, and the date it was completed. The bank sees the email addresses, the completion date, and that the proof is valid and where its record is anchored, never the agreement and its terms, its title or any other signer.

## Sources

1. [Launch your business: choose a business structure](https://www.sba.gov/counseling/launch-your-business/#business-structure), U.S. Small Business Administration, read October 12, 2026
2. [Launch your business: register your business](https://www.sba.gov/counseling/launch-your-business/#register-business), U.S. Small Business Administration, read October 12, 2026
3. [Docusign platform safety](https://www.docusign.com/safety/platform-safety), Docusign, read October 11, 2026
4. [Adobe Acrobat Sign Security Overview (June 2026)](https://www.adobe.com/cc-shared/assets/pdf/trust-center/ungated/whitepapers/doc-cloud/adobe-acrobat-sign-security-overview.pdf), Adobe, read October 11, 2026
5. [Dropbox Sign features](https://sign.dropbox.com/features), Dropbox, read October 11, 2026
6. [PandaDoc AI policy](https://support.pandadoc.com/en/articles/13794735-pandadoc-ai-policy), PandaDoc, read October 11, 2026
7. [15 U.S.C. Chapter 96, Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (United States Code, 2023 edition)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title15/html/USCODE-2023-title15-chap96.htm), U.S. Government Publishing Office, read October 12, 2026
8. [Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (1999), final text with comments](https://www.uniformlaws.org/HigherLogic/System/DownloadDocumentFile.ashx?DocumentFileKey=1b1ffc6b-9b6a-35a4-2a83-7b4d5c0f77a7&forceDialog=0), Uniform Law Commission, read October 11, 2026
9. [Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS), consolidated text](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02014R0910-20241018), EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union, read October 11, 2026

## Read next

- [Confidential deals: proving a partnership is in place](https://attest.datahubz.com/guides/prove-partnership-confidentially)
Show a customer, investor or bid committee that a partnership is signed while its terms stay confidential: proofs naming both signers, and what to agree first.
- [How to share proof that you signed](https://attest.datahubz.com/how-to/share-proof-you-signed)
Create a zero-knowledge proof that you signed an agreement, copy its link and send it. The recipient checks it free and never sees the document. Step by step.
- [Startups: SAFE notes, term sheets and board consents](https://attest.datahubz.com/use-cases/startups)
How founders sign SAFEs, term sheets and board consents electronically, keep valuation caps private from the e-signature service, and pass diligence.
- [Document signing](https://attest.datahubz.com/sign)
Electronic signatures with a passkey: no account or password for signers, documents encrypted in the browser, and a signed copy anyone can verify.

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Source: https://attest.datahubz.com/use-cases/partnership-agreements