Why this matters

When you open a notarized PDF in Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat, you may see a green checkmark that confirms the digital certificate is trusted. Sometimes, you may instead see a warning like “At least one signature has problems.”

This does not mean your document has been altered or that the notarization is invalid. It only means that Adobe does not yet recognize the certificate as trusted on your computer.

To fix this, you must install a Root Certificate — once installed, Adobe will automatically trust notarized documents sealed with this certificate.

Who should use this guide

  • Signers who download their notarized documents and want to confirm validity.

  • Businesses and relying parties (e.g., county clerks, courts, agencies) who need to independently verify documents.


Steps to Establish Trust in Adobe

1. Download the Certificate (.fdf format)

2. Open the file in Adobe Acrobat or Reader (Download Adobe Reader if needed)

3. Added the trusted root certificate in Preferences


See a step-by-step instruction:




Notes

  • This is a one-time setup per computer. After installing the certificate, all future notarized documents signed with IdenTrust will automatically show the green checkmark.

  • The document’s security and tamper-seal are valid whether or not the checkmark is shown — the green checkmark is simply Adobe’s way of visually confirming trust.


Find Out More: