If you’re drafting an email and you’d like to learn how to politely ask someone to sign a document, you’ve come to the right place!
In this article, we’ll show you 6 different ways to make this request at work.
Thereafter, we’ll consider the correctness of the phrase please sign and return, particularly in a professional setting.
6 Alternative Ways to Say “Please Sign and Return”
Below, we’ve compiled 6 examples of how to say please sign and return in an email:
- Kindly return a signed copy
- Please send this back to me once you have signed it
- I need your signature on this
- Kindly have this signed and sent back to me
- Please return these documents once you have added your signature
- I would like this signed and returned
1. Kindly Return a Signed Copy
Our first alternative to please sign and return is the more formal kindly return a signed copy.
You can use this polite phrase when you are requesting a signature from a client. It’s an appropriate alternative to use in an email exchange.
In general, this phrase will usually prompt the recipient to print out a physical copy of the document in question, scan it, and send back the signed version to you.
Alternatively, they could use an electronic signature.
Nevertheless, this phrase makes clear that you would like the document you have sent to be altered as needed and sent back to you.
Consider the following email sample:
Dear Mr. Patel,
An updated draft of your contract is attached below.
Kindly return a signed copy at your earliest convenience.
Kind regards,
Tayler Harrington
2. Please Send This Back to Me Once You Have Signed It
Another polite way to ask for a signature is to say please send this back to me once you have signed it.
This phrase is very plain and tonally neutral. Therefore, it is a suitable option to go with when you are requesting a signature from a coworker.
You can use this phrase when speaking to a coworker you don’t know particularly well. For instance, they may work in a different office or department.
After all, this phrase makes very clear what you are asking for, but the addition of “please” adds a dash of politeness to ensure that you maintain a good rapport with the receiver.
Let’s see this phrase in an email example:
Dear Claire,
I have attached the memorandum below.
Please send this back to me once you have signed it.
Kind regards,
Mbali
3. I Need Your Signature on This
It can be nerve-wracking to ask your boss to sign a document, especially if they tend to be strict or stern.
However, we recommend a straightforward approach using the phrase I need your signature on this.
The use of “I need” will make it clear that your boss’s approval is required and not optional. In short, this will show the importance of the document and justify your need to reach out to your boss.
Oftentimes, employers prefer that you not beat around the bush.
Regardless, it’s essential to keep the tone of your email polite. Otherwise, this phrase could come across as demanding.
We’ll illustrate how you can use this phrase effectively in the sample email below:
Dear Miss Howard,
I hope this email finds you well.
I need your signature on this draft agreement so that we can go forward with our collaboration with [Company Name’s] team.
Many thanks,
Joseph Chu
4. Please Return These Documents Once You Have Added Your Signature
Another way to say please sign and return is please return these documents once you have added your signature.
This phrase is a direct synonym for the original. However, it is a tad wordier, making your instructions clearer and more understandable.
You can use this phrase when speaking to a fellow professional within your industry.
The inclusion of “please” keeps things polite and professional. This will ensure that you maintain a good relationship with the receiver and, in turn, their organization.
Check out this email example to see what we mean:
Dear Melanie,
I have compiled some forms for you to sign below.
Please return these documents once you have added your signature.
All the best,
Rupert Vladimire
5. Kindly Have This Signed and Sent Back to Me
You can use the phrase kindly have this signed and sent back to me when you are speaking to a client or a client’s representative.
The words “have this signed” imply that you are not asking the receiver for their signature directly. Rather, you are asking them to have it signed by the right person.
The inclusion of “kindly” makes this phrase polite and gives it a suitably formal tone for an exchange with a client.
See how we’ve used it in an email sample:
Dear Mr. June,
I have compiled some resources for your client.
To acknowledge that everything is understood, kindly have this signed and sent back to me.
Sincerely,
Kiera Norton
6. I Would Like This Signed and Returned
The phrase I would like this signed at returned comes across as a bit more stern and instructive than the please sign and return.
Therefore, we recommend that you only use this phrase when speaking to a junior member of your team or an employee.
This phrase sets out your expectations without being demanding or disrespectful. Therefore, it will help you sound authoritative but not unkind.
Let’s see it in our final example:
Dear Lauren,
I have added some comments to your assessment in the document below.
I would like this signed and returned once you have read it.
Regards,
Katya
Is It Correct to Say “Please Sign and Return”?
It is perfectly correct to say please sign and return when you are looking to get a signature on a document.
You can use this phrase in an email and attach the document in question below for signature. However, you can also use this phrase in person.
The use of “please” makes this phrase polite and suitable for a professional setting. Therefore, this phrase is a safe choice whether you are speaking to a client, a colleague, or your boss.
To see this phrase in action, have a look at the following email examples.
First, let’s see how you can use this phrase in an email to a client:
Dear Ms. Mkize,
I have drafted the offer below for your approval.
Please sign and return at your earliest convenience.
Kind regards,
Kiara Mallon
Next, let’s see an example email to a colleague:
Hi Cory,
I have made some amendments to the memorandum.
If you agree with the above, please sign and return.
All the best,
Gillian
To avoid any embarrassing grammar mistakes, let’s look at a common error people make when using the phrase please sign and return:
Mistake: Including kindly unnecessarily
- Incorrect: Please kindly sign and return.
- Correct: Please sign and return.
In this context, “please” and “kindly” are synonyms. Therefore, including both in your sentence will be redundant.
So, we know that please sign and return is a correct and professional phrase that you can use in your email correspondence.
However, it never hurts to mix up your phrasing from time to time and avoid repetition in your work emails.
So, check out our list of synonyms for please sign and return to keep things fresh!
