No-login supplier upload via a single-use expiring link
Certly lets a supplier upload a certificate without signing in, using a single-use, expiring signed link sent to their contact email. This article walks the task from your side: what has to be on the supplier record first, what the supplier sees, and how to confirm the document landed.
What this article covers
Your supplier does not get an account, a password or a portal to remember. Certly sends their contact a chase email carrying a one-click upload link, and that link opens an upload page for one supplier and one certificate type. The link works once and expires on its own.
Use this when an allergen declaration, CoA or audit certificate is approaching expiry, has lapsed, or has never arrived, and the alternative is emailing the contact yourself and filing the attachment by hand.
Sending a supplier an upload link
- Check the supplier record is ready
The link is minted against one supplier and one certificate type, so the supplier needs a contact email on its record and the certificate types you require ticked: allergen declaration, CoA, audit certificate.
- Send the chase
Certly emails the supplier contact with the one-click upload link. Chases also go out on their own as part of the automated sequence for certificates approaching expiry or already lapsed, and every send is logged.
- The supplier opens the link with no sign-in
There is nothing for them to create or remember. The signed link takes them straight to an upload page for the certificate you asked for.
- The supplier uploads the document
Certly accepts PDF, PNG or JPEG. The file is stored against that supplier and that certificate type, with its issue and expiry dates, exactly as it would be if your QA team had uploaded it.
- The link closes behind them
The link is single-use: once a document comes through it, it cannot be used again. An unused link expires on its own, so an old chase email left in an inbox is not a standing door into your records.
- Confirm it landed
The audit-ready dashboard shows that slot move out of missing or expired and into current or expiring soon, by expiry date against your 90, 60 and 30 day thresholds. The PDF export for an auditor is built from the same view.
If it did not work
Start with the chase log on the supplier. Certly records every chase it sends, so you can see what left and when rather than assuming.
- The supplier says the link no longer opens. It has already been used, or it has expired. Send a new chase.
- The document arrived but the slot still looks wrong. Check the certificate type and the expiry date on the record. Status is computed from the expiry date you hold, so a wrong date reads as a wrong status.
- You would rather file it yourself. Your QA team can upload a certificate directly against a supplier and certificate type at any time, without involving the supplier.
- The contact asks you to remove their details. A supplier contact's name and email can be erased on their own, separately from the certificate records.
Still stuck, email support@usecertly.com and include the supplier name and the certificate type.
Questions
Does the supplier need a Certly account?
No. The upload link needs no login, no password and nothing to set up. It is a signed link sent to the contact email you hold for that supplier.
What file types can a supplier upload?
PDF, PNG or JPEG. The document is stored against that supplier and certificate type with its issue and expiry dates.
Can one link be used for more than one certificate?
No. A link is tied to one supplier and one certificate type, and it works once. Send a separate chase for each certificate you need.
What happens if the supplier opens a link that has expired or already been used?
The link no longer resolves. Send a new chase from the supplier's record and the supplier gets a fresh single-use link.
Can I still upload a certificate myself?
Yes. Manual upload by your QA team, tied to a supplier and certificate type, works alongside supplier self-service. Use the link for suppliers who are slow to respond, and upload the rest yourself.
Does Certly check that the uploaded certificate is genuine?
No. Certly tracks certificate expiry and reminds you and your suppliers; it does not verify certificate authenticity or guarantee regulatory compliance, and that statement appears on the dashboard and on the PDF export. Reviewing the document is still your call.
Where does the uploaded document end up?
On the supplier's record against the certificate type it was requested for, and in the single-screen status view the audit-ready dashboard and its PDF export are built from. A renewal never deletes the version it replaces.