Waivers & E-Signatures

Collect signed liability releases, PADI medical statements, rental agreements, and anything else you ask customers to sign. Three completion modes per form: upload, inline e-signature, or Smartwaiver.

Three completion modes

Each paperwork item is configured with one of three completion methods, chosen on the item's admin page.

  • Upload (included) — Customer downloads a blank PDF, fills it out (digital or paper), and uploads the signed copy. An admin verifies it before the form moves to the verified state. Best for items that need a third-party signature (a physician countersigning a PADI Medical Statement, for example).
  • Inline e-signature ($10/month add-on) — Customer reads the full waiver text in their browser, ticks an assent checkbox, and types their full legal name. The platform renders a signed PDF with an audit footer (IP, user agent, timestamp, account email, and a SHA-256 hash of the text version they signed) and emails them a copy. Auto-verified — no admin review needed.
  • Smartwaiver (included; shop pays Smartwaiver directly) — Customer is redirected to a Smartwaiver-hosted form. Smartwaiver POSTs back to the platform when the waiver is signed and the form is auto-verified.

The Inline e-signature add-on is enabled by your platform admin via the billing page. Existing UPLOAD and SMARTWAIVER items keep working with or without the add-on. Historical signed PDFs remain accessible on the customer's account page even if the add-on later lapses — the gate only blocks new inline signings.

Inline e-signature: what makes it legally binding

The US ESIGN Act and most state UETA / Canadian provincial Electronic Commerce Acts give electronic signatures the same legal effect as wet signatures when four requirements are met: intent to sign, consent to do business electronically, association of the signature with the record, and the ability to retain a copy. The platform captures all four:

  • Intent — Typed full legal name + ticked assent checkbox + click of Submit.
  • Consent — Visible assent line (“I am signing electronically of my own free will…”) the customer must check.
  • Association — SHA-256 hash of the rendered waiver text (body + assent + locale + template revision timestamp) is stored on the signature record. If the template is later edited, the hash still proves which version was actually signed.
  • Retention — The signed PDF is emailed to the customer (their copy) and stored against their account (their accessible-anytime copy).

Additional audit metadata captured: IP address, user agent, signed-at timestamp, account email and ID, the typed full legal name, and (optionally) a drawn-signature PNG when the form has Require Drawn Signature enabled.

When to use Smartwaiver instead

Inline e-signature covers most dive-shop liability releases, rental agreements, and general consent forms. Switch to Smartwaiver when:

  • Your liability insurer specifically names Smartwaiver in their policy guidance.
  • You're a PADI 5-Star center in a region that recommends Smartwaiver via the preferred-vendor program.
  • You want third-party evidentiary chain-of-custody so the shop never has to defend the signature's authenticity in a dispute.

Configure your Smartwaiver API key under Admin → Configuration → Waivers, then set the per-template GUID on each paperwork item. Set the Smartwaiver webhook URL in your Smartwaiver dashboard to https://your-domain.com/api/webhooks/smartwaiver.

Note: this guide describes the platform's implementation. It is not legal advice. Before relying on inline e-signature for high-liability activities, confirm acceptability with your insurance carrier and, if you have one, your franchise / agency requirements.

Renewal and expiry

Every paperwork item has a Valid for (months) field. When a customer signs, the platform stamps an expiresAt date that many months out. After expiry the item reverts to the expired state, and the customer is prompted to re-sign on their next booking that requires it. The default is 12 months — appropriate for PADI Medical Statements and most general waivers.