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Send via text (SMS)

Easily send documents via text (SMS) with PandaDoc to speed up signing.

Updated over a month ago

Availability: Business annual and Enterprise annual plans

Note: Sending documents via text (SMS) is unavailable during the trial period.

Warning: PandaDoc reserves the right to suspend accounts for misusing this feature by sending spam messages via text (SMS).

Sending documents via text (SMS) is the best way to reach your recipients and complete documents in record time.

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Sending Documents via text (SMS)

Certifying Recipient Consent

To follow the United States’ Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and similar regulations in other countries, PandaDoc requires that senders obtain clear consent from recipients before sending electronic documents and notifications via SMS.

As the sender, it’s your responsibility to gather verbal consent from the recipient before using SMS for document delivery.

To ensure compliance, we ask document senders to certify that their company has obtained voluntary consent from all recipients. This can be done in two ways:

  • Workspace-wide Certification: A workspace admin can certify that consent is gathered for all recipients in the workspace settings. This will apply to all employees in the workspace.

  • Individual Certification: If the workspace hasn’t certified consent, each member can certify it individually when sending their first document via SMS.

This certification is only required once for each workspace or sender.

Certifying Recipient Consent for API Users

To send documents via SMS through the API, consent must be certified in the workspace settings.

If consent is not certified and you attempt to send a document via SMS, you will receive the following error:

Confirmation of recipient consent is required. Admin should access workspace settings to certify.

Setting up a default delivery method

PandaDoc’s default delivery method is email, but this can be changed to text (SMS) or both email and text (SMS) in Settings > Workspace defaults. The default delivery method you select will be applied to all new recipients you add to your documents.

You can also set up default and frequently used countries in the 'Phone number' section of Workspace defaults to expedite adding recipients' phone numbers.

Note: To send a document via text (SMS), make sure to include the country code in the phone number without any formatting, e.g., +15551234567. You can easily update the phone number of the recipients when creating a document from a template — simply select delivery via SMS and make the necessary changes. The phone number will be updated at the contact level as well.

Setting up a delivery method in a document

Notes and limitations:

  • Text (SMS) delivery is unavailable for forms, templates, bulk sends, or recipient groups

  • SMS verification cannot be selected for text (SMS) document delivery

  • Customizing the text (SMS) message that recipients receive with the document link isn’t currently available

You can set up a delivery method while creating a document or in an existing document.

To set up the delivery method while creating your document, start by selecting +Document from the Document list.

Select an existing template or +Blank to create a new document from scratch. If you have a PDF or .docx file, you can drag and drop it into the upload area.

Next, assign a recipient, then click on the recipient area and select your preferred delivery method from the dropdown menu. Select Continue to proceed with editing and sending the document.

Alternatively, you can select the delivery method later when sending the document. Follow these steps:

  1. Create a new document as you normally do, then add your recipients by selecting Invite > Recipient. If you don't have a recipient's record in your PandaDoc contacts, select Add recipient in the dropdown menu on the right, then enter their contact information. You can also start typing the recipient's name or email address, then select it from the dropdown.

  2. Once your document is prepared, select Send > Email / Text (SMS).

  3. Select a recipient to configure the delivery method. You can select between email, text (SMS), or both. You can set up default and frequently used countries in the 'Phone number' section of Workspace defaults to expedite adding recipients' phone numbers.

  4. Optionally, set up recipient verification.

  5. Select Continue.

  6. If you have recipients receiving the document via email or both email and text (SMS), compose your email message or choose one from your saved messages.

  7. Review document settings such as expiration, auto-reminders, etc., then select Send Document.

SMS sender and supported countries

PandaDoc sends notifications from the following:

  • US numbers: +1 (530) 488-4350 and +1 (602) 388-1001 (in the US, Canada, and other countries)

  • ‘PandaDoc’ (available in 150 countries, excluding North America)

Supported countries for sending documents via text (SMS)

  • Afghanistan

  • Albania

  • Algeria

  • American Samoa

  • Angola

  • Anguilla

  • Antigua and Barbuda

  • Argentina

  • Aruba

  • Australia

  • Austria

  • Azerbaijan

  • Bahrain

  • Bangladesh

  • Barbados

  • Belarus

  • Belize

  • Benin

  • Bermuda

  • Bhutan

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Botswana

  • Brazil

  • Brunei

  • Burkina Faso

  • Burundi

  • Cambodia

  • Cameroon

  • Cape Verde

  • Cayman Islands

  • Central Africa

  • Chad

  • China

  • Colombia

  • Comoros

  • Cook Islands

  • Croatia

  • Cuba

  • Cyprus

  • Czech Republic

  • Denmark

  • Djibouti

  • Dominica

  • Dominican Republic

  • Ecuador

  • Egypt

  • El Salvador

  • Equatorial Guinea

  • Estonia

  • Ethiopia

  • Faroe Islands

  • Falkland Islands

  • Finland

  • France

  • French Guiana

  • French Polynesia

  • Gambia

  • Georgia

  • Germany

  • Ghana

  • Greece

  • Greenland

  • Grenada

  • Guadeloupe

  • Guatemala

  • Guinea

  • Guinea-Bissau

  • Guyana

  • Honduras

  • Hong Kong

  • Hungary

  • Iceland

  • Indonesia

  • Iran

  • Iraq

  • Ireland

  • Italy

  • Ivory Coast

  • Jamaica

  • Japan

  • Kazakhstan

  • Kenya

  • Kiribati

  • Korea Republic of

  • Kyrgyzstan

  • Laos PDR

  • Latvia

  • Lebanon

  • Liberia

  • Libya

  • Liechtenstein

  • Lithuania

  • Macao

  • Macedonia

  • Madagascar

  • Malawi

  • Maldives

  • Mali

  • Malta

  • Marshall Islands

  • Mauritania

  • Mauritius

  • Mexico

  • Micronesia

  • Monaco

  • Mongolia

  • Montserrat

  • Morocco

  • Myanmar

  • Namibia

  • Nepal

  • Netherlands

  • New Zealand

  • Nicaragua

  • Niger

  • Nigeria

  • Norfolk Island

  • Norway

  • Oman

  • Pakistan

  • Palestinian Territory

  • Panama

  • Papua New Guinea

  • Paraguay

  • Philippines

  • Poland

  • Portugal

  • Puerto Rico

  • Reunion/Mayotte

  • Romania

  • Rwanda

  • San Marino

  • Senegal

  • Serbia

  • Seychelles

  • Sierra Leone

  • Slovakia

  • Slovenia

  • Solomon Islands

  • Somalia

  • Spain

  • Sri Lanka

  • St Kitts and Nevis

  • St Lucia

  • St Vincent Grenadines

  • Sudan

  • Suriname

  • Swaziland

  • Switzerland

  • Syria

  • Taiwan

  • Tajikistan

  • Thailand

  • Tonga

  • Trinidad and Tobago

  • Tunisia

  • Turkmenistan

  • Turks and Caicos Islands

  • Uganda

  • Ukraine

  • United Kingdom

  • United States

  • Uruguay

  • Vanuatu

  • Venezuela

  • Vietnam

  • Virgin Islands, British

  • Wallis and Futuna

  • Yemen

  • Zambia

  • Zimbabwe

Recipient experience

Instructions on providing consent

Once the document is sent, you will receive two text (SMS) notifications sent via PandaDoc:

  • Intro text (SMS): “Welcome to PandaDoc — your fast, simple, and secure electronic signature solution. Reply with STOP to opt out anytime.”

  • “{Sender name} sent you {Document name} {Document link}”

Once you select the document link, you’ll see the following modal window asking for your consent to receive text (SMS) notification:

If the recipient selects Agree, they will gain access to the document and receive all subsequent notifications. If they select Decline, they’ll be unable to access the document and will not receive any further notifications sent via PandaDoc.

Signing documents using a mobile device

Once recipient consent has been collected and the recipient selects the link in the text (SMS) notification, the document will open in a browser on their mobile device.

Once the document has been completed, the recipient will receive another text (SMS) notification: “{Document name} is complete and available for you to download at {Document link}.”

When the document is signed via the link in the text (SMS) notification, the signature certificate will show the associated phone number and indicate that the number has been verified.

Opt-In and Opt-Out via messaging

Note: Recipients can opt in or opt out when receiving messages from a 10DLC number, but this functionality is not applicable for those receiving messages from an Alphanumeric Sender. This feature is available in the US and Canada, but is not supported in the EU.

A recipient with a US phone number can message START to our phone number to provide their initial consent or opt back in after opting out. In this case, they will receive a confirmation message:

“You’ve opted in to receive electronic documents and related text (SMS) notifications via PandaDoc. Reply with STOP to opt out anytime.”

The recipient can also type and send STOP at any time to opt out. In this case, they won’t receive any messages from PandaDoc, and they will receive this confirmation message:

“You’ve opted out from receiving electronic documents via PandaDoc. Reply with START to opt in anytime.”

Additionally, recipients can opt in to receive text (SMS) if they open the document link and select Opt in.

FAQ: Legality, security, and privacy

Is signing a document received via text (SMS) legally binding?

Yes. Documents signed via text (SMS) notifications hold the same legal weight as those signed through email notifications. When you sign a document using the link provided in the text (SMS) notification, it is considered legally binding.

To enhance transparency and traceability, the signature certificate will show the phone number and indicate that the number has been verified after the document is signed through the link in the text (SMS) notification.

Is it necessary to have the recipient's consent before sending a document via text (SMS)?

Yes. In all countries regulating business-to-consumer messaging services, businesses are required to obtain consent from the consumer. It is recommended to verify the recipient's phone number and have their consent before sending a document via text (SMS).

I see a message that says, “This number’s owner has not opted in to receive text (SMS) messages.” What should I do?

This indicates that the recipient hasn't provided their consent yet, or has declined to do so. You’ll need to contact the recipient and share these instructions on how they can provide consent to receive documents from PandaDoc via text (SMS).

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