Import certificates from digital signatures in PDFs

Last updated on Aug 16, 2025

Learn how to safely add a certificate to your trusted identities from a signed PDF document in Adobe Acrobat.

Importing trusted certificates allows you to verify the authenticity of signed documents you receive. Only import certificates from known, trusted sources after verifying the fingerprint.

Open the PDF containing the digital signature.

Open the Signature Panel and select the signature.

From the Options menu, select Show Signature Properties.

In the Signature Properties dialog box, select Show Signer's Certificate.

If the certificate is self-signed, contact the originator to confirm that the fingerprint values on the Details tab are correct. Trust the certificate only if the values match.

Select the Trust tab and then select Add to Trusted Certificate.

The Certificate Viewer dialogue box shows Add to Trusted Certificates option.
To add a certificate to the certificate trusted list, select Add to Trusted Certificate.

Select OK.

In the Import Contact Settings dialog box, specify trust options and select OK.