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Create Your First eSignature Transaction

The Stewart Sign API allows you to easily create, manage, and send eSignature transactions to one or more recipients.
This guide walks you through the basic steps to create your first eSignature transaction, from uploading documents to creating the transaction.

Overview​

An eSignature transaction represents a digital signing session where participants review and sign one or more documents.
Each transaction includes:

  • One or more documents (PDF files)
  • One or more participants (signers)
  • Optional tags for signatures, initials, and dates
  • Metadata such as status, referenceId, and personalizedMessage

Prerequisites​

Before creating your first transaction, ensure you have:

  • A valid Bearer token (JWT) for authentication.
  • At least one PDF document uploaded via the /documents/upload endpoint.

All API requests must include the following header:

Authorization: Bearer <your_access_token>
Content-Type: application/json

Step 1: Upload Your Document​

First, upload your PDF file to the system.

Endpoint​

POST /documents/upload

Request (multipart/form-data)​

curl -X POST "https://api.sign.stewart.com/documents/upload"   -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"   -F "files=@MyFile.pdf"

Successful Response​

[
  {
    "file": "MyFile.pdf",
    "status": "uploaded"
  }
]

From this response, note the gcsRefId for each uploaded document — you’ll need it when creating your transaction.

Step 2: Create an eSignature Transaction​

Once your document is uploaded, you can create a transaction that defines participants, documents, and signing rules.

Endpoint​

POST /transactions

Example Request​

curl -X POST "https://api.sign.stewart.com/transactions"   -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"   -H "Content-Type: application/json"   -d '{
    "documents": [
      {
        "id": "391866a6-8ebb-4533-b6ab-c7bb4d6fbd38",
        "gcsRefId": "14a00c39-af89-47ee-b26c-f0bc523c270e/TiffinBillofSale.pdf",
        "title": "Purchase Agreement",
        "description": "Please review and sign the attached document",
        "sessionType": "esign",
        "readOnly": false,
        "tags": [
          {
            "x": 100,
            "y": 150,
            "width": 150,
            "height": 34,
            "type": "SIGNHERETAGTEMPLATEANNOTATION",
            "signerId": "5e7ec62e-e983-48b3-9788-4309c7a50b2f",
            "page": 1
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "participants": [
      {
        "id": "37da192e-6420-4b9c-9951-a979eeaf8889",
        "email": "client@example.com",
        "firstName": "John",
        "lastName": "Doe",
        "kbaRequired": false,
        "credAnalysisRequired": false
      }
    ],
    "status": "esign_pending",
    "personalizedMessage": "Dear John, please review and sign your purchase agreement."
  }'

Example Successful Response​

{
  "documents": [
    {
      "title": "Purchase Agreement",
      "gcsRefId": "14a00c39-af89-47ee-b26c-f0bc523c270e/TiffinBillofSale.pdf",
      "sessionType": "esign"
    }
  ],
  "participants": [
    {
      "id": "37da192e-6420-4b9c-9951-a979eeaf8889",
      "email": "client@example.com",
      "firstName": "John",
      "lastName": "Doe"
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: Retrieve Transaction Details​

You can fetch a transaction by its ID to verify details or monitor its status.

Endpoint​

GET /transactions/{id}

Example​

curl -X GET "https://api.sign.stewart.com/transactions/391866a6-8ebb-4533-b6ab-c7bb4d6fbd38"   -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

Step 4: Download Completed Documents​

Once the signing process is complete, download all documents as a ZIP file.

Endpoint​

GET /transactions/{id}/documents?type=completed

Example​

curl -X GET "https://api.sign.stewart.com/transactions/391866a6-8ebb-4533-b6ab-c7bb4d6fbd38/documents?type=completed"   -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"   --output signed-documents.zip

Summary​

You’ve now created your first eSignature transaction!
Here’s what we accomplished:

  1. Uploaded a document for signing.
  2. Created a transaction with participants and tags.
  3. Retrieved transaction details.
  4. Downloaded completed documents once signing was done.

💬 Need Help?​

Contact the Stewart Sign Support Team for technical assistance or integration guidance.