# pyHanko

> pyHanko (785 stars, 0.37.0 on PyPI 31 Aug 2026) is a Python 3.10+ library plus a separate pyhanko-cli package. It signs PDFs you already have with your own certificate or a PKCS#11 token or smartcard, supports PAdES B-B to B-LTA, RFC 3161 timestamps and multiple signatures, and validates signatures, including against EU trusted lists. MIT licence. The author calls it beta and not yet production-ready. It has no web UI, no sending to other signers, no reminders, tracking or templates.

- Repository: https://github.com/MatthiasValvekens/pyHanko
- Official docs: https://docs.pyhanko.eu/en/latest/
- Checked: 2026-10-16

## What it replaces
- DocuSign: Certificate-based digital signatures (PKI) (partial). Certificate-based PDF signing and validation from code or the command line; no signing workflow for other people.

## Facts, with sources

| Question | Status | Answer | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on my machine? | Confirmed | Yes, Python library and command-line tool on your own machine | https://github.com/MatthiasValvekens/pyHanko#readme | 2026-10-16 |
| Code licence | Confirmed | MIT (includes modified PyPDF2 code under its own licence) | https://github.com/MatthiasValvekens/pyHanko#license | 2026-10-16 |
| Model weights licence | Confirmed | No separate model weights | https://github.com/MatthiasValvekens/pyHanko#readme | 2026-10-16 |
| Commercial use | Confirmed | Yes under MIT; the author says it is beta and not yet production-ready | https://github.com/MatthiasValvekens/pyHanko#readme | 2026-10-16 |
| Paid services needed? | Confirmed | None required; you supply your own certificate or token, and optionally a timestamp server | https://github.com/MatthiasValvekens/pyHanko#features | 2026-10-16 |
| Hardware | Unknown | Not documented beyond Python 3.10+ | none found | - |
| Operating systems | Confirmed | Any OS with Python 3.10+ (PyPI lists it as OS independent) | https://pypi.org/project/pyHanko/ | 2026-10-16 |
| Setup effort | Confirmed | Easy; pip install with optional extras for PKCS#11, images, fonts and the CLI | https://github.com/MatthiasValvekens/pyHanko#installing | 2026-10-16 |

GitHub: 785 stars, 112 forks, last push 2026-10-14, archived: no.
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Source: RepoQuarry (https://repoquarry.dev/projects/pyhanko). Data licence: CC BY 4.0. Quotes are from project documentation and belong to their authors.