Signing documents in education: a guide for schools
Trip consent forms, enrolments, image consent, school meals, after-school activities… A school asks for hundreds of signatures every year. And every slip that comes back in the school bag (or doesn’t) costs time for the office and for teachers.
In 30 seconds
- Families sign on their phones with a link, without downloading apps or creating an account.
- You can ask both parents to sign the same document and see who’s missing.
- An electronic signature with a certificate works for consent forms, letters home and enrolments.
Which documents schools usually need signed
- Families: consent for outings and trips, enrolment, image rights consent, school meals and transport, after-school activities, pupil collection by other people, data protection.
- Adult students: enrolment, work placement agreements, grants.
- Staff: contracts, payslips, internal protocols, health and safety paperwork.
- Suppliers: contracts and quotes.
Official figures
pupils are expected in general non-university education in Spain in the 2025-2026 school year.
general non-university schools: 19,368 state schools and 9,380 state-funded private and private schools.
of pupils attend state-funded private (24.4%) or private (8.8%) schools, according to the 2024-2025 school year.
How signing by phone works
- The school prepares the document once, as a template, and marks where to sign and what details the family needs to fill in (pupil’s name, ID number, phone…).
- It sends it to the class or the families it chooses. Each parent or guardian gets their own link by email.
- The family opens it on their phone, fills in the details and signs with a finger. They don’t need to register or install anything.
- The signed document comes back to the school, with a signature certificate, and is saved. Anyone who hasn’t signed gets reminders.
Families with separated parents
When a document needs both parents’ signatures, each one gets their own link and signs from home. The school can always see who has signed and who’s still missing.
Data protection
Pupil documents contain personal data, sometimes health data. That’s why it’s worth using a tool that stores documents encrypted, lets you control who at the school can see them and logs every signature with its date and time. Remember to inform families in your data protection notice too.
What the school gains
- No more slips lost in school bags.
- Teachers who don’t have to count consent forms on the day of the trip.
- Everything archived and easy to find if anyone asks.
- Families who sign in a minute, wherever they are.
If you’re looking for a template to start with, there’s one in school trip consent form.
FAQs
Do families need to create an account?
No. They get a link by email, open it and sign.
Is a school consent form signed by phone legally valid?
Yes. It’s an electronic signature under the European eIDAS regulation, and each document comes with a certificate showing the date, time and signer’s details.
How much does it cost for a school?
MultiDocs costs €19 a month, with unlimited users and up to 1,000 documents sent for signature a month. If the school sends more, we’ll put together a custom price.
Official sources
- Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport: “Datos y cifras. Curso escolar 2025/2026” (facts and figures)
- Spanish Data Protection Agency: “Guía para centros educativos” (guide for schools)
- BOE: Ley Orgánica 3/2018, on Data Protection (LOPDGDD), art. 7
We checked each source on 29 October 2026. If you spot outdated information, write to us at info@multidocs.es.