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Skillsive

Create a certificate template

Certificates Updated: September 28, 2026

Upload the PDF that will become your certificate and prepare it for issuing.

A certificate template is your certificate's PDF plus the information where Skillsive should print the trainee's name, dates, number, signatures and the verification QR code. You create it once and use it for any number of courses.

Available to organization Admins.

Create the template

  1. 1Open Certificates → Certificate templates.
  2. 2Click Create template to expand the form.
  3. 3Under Basic information, enter the Name and, optionally, a Description.
  4. 4Under Classification, choose the Country and Language and, if you like, add a Regulation reference.
  5. 5Under Template file, upload the PDF.
  6. 6Place the fields on the PDF — see Set fields and QR code on a certificate.
  7. 7Click Create template.
Certificate templates with the Create template form

Which PDF to upload

Use a normal, unsigned PDF, for example exported from Word or from your designer. Leave empty space where the trainee's name, dates and the QR code should go.

  • A plain PDF (just a background) — you place the fields yourself with Place fields visually.
  • A PDF with form fields — Skillsive detects the fields, and you choose which data goes into each one.

Signed or damaged PDFs are rejected

If the file is already digitally signed or damaged, Skillsive asks you to upload a clean PDF. Export the file again without a signature.

Check an existing template

Click a template in the list to expand it. You see its scope, country, language, regulation reference, the PDF and how many fields are mapped. From there you can Edit template or Preview PDF.

Expanded template with its details and the PDF file

Active and inactive templates

Only an Active template can be chosen in a certificate assignment. Switch a template to inactive when you stop using it — certificates already issued from it stay valid.

A template on its own is not enough to issue certificates. Link it to a course in a certificate assignment.

FAQ

Can I use the same template for several courses?

Yes. Create one assignment per course and choose the same template in each.

Can I replace the PDF later?

Yes. Open Edit template, remove the file and upload a new one. Check the field positions afterwards, because a new layout can move things around.

What does "Global" mean in the list?

Global templates are prepared by Skillsive and are available to every organization. Your own templates are marked Organization.

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