--- title: "Securing the review process with verified approvals at Filestage" description: "Learn how to lock down your sign-offs with electronic signatures and one-time passwords." url: https://help.filestage.io/en/articles/9465097-securing-the-review-process-with-verified-approvals-at-filestage collection: "Reviewer Management" updated: 2026-06-29 language: en alternates: [fr, de, es] --- # Securing the review process with verified approvals at Filestage Learn how to lock down your sign-offs with electronic signatures and one-time passwords. _Verified approvals turn a normal click-to-approve into a signed, identity-checked decision. Each reviewer confirms with an electronic signature and a one-time password, so you always know exactly who approved what — and stay compliant with FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and EU Annex 11 while you're at it._ > ⚠ **Note:** Verified approvals are available on the **Enterprise** plan. * * * ## How verified approvals can help you Verified approvals make every sign-off auditable and tamper-proof. Instead of a simple click, each reviewer confirms their decision with an electronic signature and a one-time password sent to their email — giving you a clear, compliant record of who approved each file and when. This is especially valuable when you need to: - Meet regulatory requirements such as FDA 21 CFR Part 11 or EU Annex 11 - Prove reviewer identity for legal, medical, or pharmaceutical content - Create a defensible audit trail for high-stakes or contractual approvals * * * ## How to turn on verified approvals And this is how you can switch verified approvals on:

  1. On your project board, hover over the desired reviewer group and click the settings (gear) icon (Manage reviewer settings).

  2. Open the Security tab.

  3. Toggle on Require verified approval. You can also pre-set this in your project templates so it's applied automatically to every new project.

### How to spot a verified approval Once it's switched on, every reviewer in the step must confirm with a one-time password. A **pen icon** appears next to each verified approval in the review decisions, so you can see at a glance who has signed off. ![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/gattachments/nYqHntYdckoSIV6mvtorwQ1mxzxYKwyx8RkC7L5i1Oyt0hRs3RSnOz0yMJ5nakjOEXeBzHBrCHX.jpg) * * * ## How to leave a verified approval (as a reviewer) And this is how reviewers complete a verified approval:

  1. When reviewing the file, click Approve and sign in the top-right corner of the file viewer.

  2. Open the email linked to your Filestage account and copy your 6-digit one-time password.

  3. Enter it in the Enter code field and click Approve and sign to confirm. The code is valid for 60 minutes.

* * * 💡 **What's next?** Once you're done, see how to [**Supported file formats in FileStage**](https://help.filestage.io/en/articles/1482221-supported-file-formats.md) Let us know if you have any questions by reaching out to us on chat or emailing us at [support@filestage.io](mailto:support@filestage.io). We're always happy to help!