Timestamp PDF

Add an RFC 3161 document timestamp to your PDF using a trusted Time Stamp Authority (TSA) server. Proves your document existed at a specific point in time. No certificate required.

Internet connection required

Timestamping requires contacting the selected TSA server to obtain a trusted timestamp token.

Click to select a file or drag and drop

PDF Documents

Your files never leave your device.

How It Works

1

Upload PDF

Select the PDF document you want to timestamp

2

Choose TSA Server

Select one of the trusted TSA servers

3

Timestamp & Download

Apply the RFC 3161 timestamp and download your timestamped PDF

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which timestamp servers can I use?

The menu offers five public RFC 3161 authorities: DigiCert, Sectigo, SSL.com, FreeTSA, and MeSign. There is no field for a custom URL, so the choice is limited to those presets.

Does timestamping work offline?

No. The tool has to contact the chosen TSA over the internet to obtain the signed timestamp token; everything else, including hashing the file and embedding the token, happens in your browser. If the request fails you can pick another server and try again.

What's the difference between a timestamp and a digital signature?

A digital signature proves who signed the document and needs your own certificate, while a document timestamp proves only when the document existed, vouched for by the TSA. If you need both, sign first with Digital Sign PDF and then add the timestamp here.

Can I timestamp a PDF that is already signed?

The timestamp is appended as an incremental update rather than a rewrite of the file, so an existing signature stays intact and verifiable, and the timestamp shows as its own entry in the reader's signature panel.

Will anything appear on the page?

No. The timestamp is invisible; it lives in the file's signature data and shows up in the signature panel of Acrobat and similar readers, not as a stamp on the page. The downloaded file keeps its original name.

Why did I get a Timestamp Failed error?

Most often the TSA didn't respond or your connection dropped, so try another server from the list. On self-hosted copies of BentoPDF served over HTTPS, the servers that only offer HTTP endpoints need a CORS proxy configured at build time; FreeTSA uses HTTPS and works without one.

How long does the timestamp stay valid?

Readers validate the token against the TSA's certificate chain, so it verifies as long as that chain is trusted. This tool doesn't embed long-term validation (LTV) data, so verification years later depends on the reader still being able to check the TSA's certificates.

How do I check the timestamp after downloading?

Open the signature panel in Adobe Acrobat Reader or another signature-aware viewer; the timestamp is listed there with its time and the authority that issued it. If the reader trusts the TSA's certificate chain, it reports the timestamp as valid.