docs: add user-facing documentation for recipient expiration (#2659)

apps/docs/content/docs/users/documents/advanced/index.mdx

@@ -24,4 +24,9 @@ description: Advanced document features including PDF placeholders, AI detection
     description="Control who can see documents within a team."
     href="/docs/users/documents/advanced/document-visibility"
   />
+  <Card
+    title="Recipient Expiration"
+    description="Set a signing deadline so document links expire after a configurable period."
+    href="/docs/users/documents/advanced/recipient-expiration"
+  />
 </Cards>

apps/docs/content/docs/users/documents/advanced/meta.json

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
     "pdf-placeholders",
     "ai-detection",
     "default-recipients",
-    "document-visibility"
+    "document-visibility",
+    "recipient-expiration"
   ]
 }

apps/docs/content/docs/users/documents/advanced/recipient-expiration.mdx

@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@
+---
+title: Recipient Expiration
+description: Set a signing deadline for recipients so document links expire after a configurable period.
+---
+
+import { Callout } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/callout';
+import { Step, Steps } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/steps';
+import { Tab, Tabs } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/tabs';
+
+## Overview
+
+Recipient expiration lets you set a deadline for how long recipients have to sign a document after it is sent. Once the deadline passes, the recipient can no longer access the signing link and the document owner is notified.
+
+This is useful when:
+
+- A business deal is contingent on being signed within a specific time frame
+- A document is no longer relevant after a certain date
+- You want to ensure recipients act promptly rather than leaving documents unsigned indefinitely
+
+Expiration is tracked **per recipient**, not per document. If one recipient's deadline passes, other recipients can still sign. The document stays in a pending state so the owner can decide whether to resend or cancel.
+
+## Default Behaviour
+
+Every organisation has a default expiration period of **3 months**. This means that when you send a document, each recipient has 3 months from the time the document is sent to complete their signing.
+
+You can change this default at the organisation or team level, or override it per document.
+
+## Settings Cascade
+
+Expiration settings follow a three-level cascade: **Organisation → Team → Document**. Each level can override the one above it.
+
+<Tabs items={['Organisation', 'Team', 'Document']}>
+<Tab value="Organisation">
+
+Sets the default for all teams in the organisation. Options are a **custom duration** or **never expires**.
+
+To configure, navigate to **Organisation Settings > Preferences > Document** and find **Default Envelope Expiration**.
+
+</Tab>
+<Tab value="Team">
+
+Overrides the organisation default for documents created within this team. Options are a **custom duration**, **never expires**, or **inherit from organisation**.
+
+New teams default to **inherit from organisation**.
+
+To configure, navigate to **Team Settings > Preferences > Document** and find **Default Envelope Expiration**.
+
+</Tab>
+<Tab value="Document">
+
+Overrides the team or organisation default for a single document. Options are a **custom duration** or **never expires**.
+
+If you do not change the expiration when editing a document, the team or organisation default applies.
+
+</Tab>
+</Tabs>
+
+## Set Expiration for a Document
+
+{/* prettier-ignore */}
+<Steps>
+<Step>
+
+### Open the document settings
+
+In the document editor, open the **Settings** dialog and go to the **General** tab.
+
+</Step>
+<Step>
+
+### Configure the expiration
+
+Find the **Expiration** field. Choose one of:
+
+- **Custom duration** — enter a number and select a unit (days, weeks, months, or years)
+- **Never expires** — the recipient can sign at any time
+
+If you leave it unchanged, the team or organisation default applies.
+
+![Recipient Expiration Screenshot](/recipient-expiration/configure-expiration.webp)
+
+</Step>
+<Step>
+
+### Send the document
+
+When you send the document, the expiration deadline is calculated from that moment. For example, if you set a 7-day expiration and send the document on March 1st, the recipient has until March 8th to sign.
+
+</Step>
+</Steps>
+
+<Callout type="info">
+  You cannot change the expiration period after the document has been sent. To extend a recipient's
+  deadline, resend the document to them — this resets the clock.
+</Callout>
+
+## Set a Default Expiration Period
+
+{/* prettier-ignore */}
+<Steps>
+<Step>
+
+### Navigate to document preferences
+
+Go to **Organisation Settings > Preferences > Document** (or **Team Settings > Preferences > Document** for team-level overrides).
+
+</Step>
+<Step>
+
+### Configure the default
+
+Find **Default Envelope Expiration** and choose:
+
+- **Custom duration** — enter a number and unit
+- **Never expires** — no deadline for recipients
+- **Inherit from organisation** (team level only) — use whatever the organisation has configured
+
+</Step>
+<Step>
+
+### Save
+
+Click **Save** to apply. New documents created after this change use the updated default.
+
+</Step>
+</Steps>
+
+<Callout type="info">
+  Changing the default expiration does not affect documents that have already been sent. Only new
+  documents use the updated setting.
+</Callout>
+
+## What Happens When a Recipient Expires
+
+When a recipient's signing deadline passes:
+
+1. The recipient can no longer access the signing link. They see a message explaining that the signing deadline has expired and to contact the document owner.
+2. The document owner receives an email notification with a link to view the document.
+3. An audit log entry is created recording the expiration.
+4. The document remains in a **pending** state — other recipients who have not expired can still sign.
+
+![Recipient Expired Signing Page](/recipient-expiration/recipient-expired.webp)
+
+## Resending to Extend a Deadline
+
+If a recipient's deadline has passed (or is about to), you can resend the document to them. Resending recalculates the expiration from the current time, effectively extending the deadline.
+
+{/* prettier-ignore */}
+<Steps>
+<Step>
+
+### Open the document
+
+Navigate to the document page and find the recipient whose deadline has expired. Expired recipients are marked with an **Expired** badge.
+
+</Step>
+<Step>
+
+### Resend
+
+Click the resend option for the recipient. This sends a new signing link and resets the expiration clock based on the document's configured expiration period.
+
+</Step>
+</Steps>
+
+## Expiration Options Reference
+
+| Unit   | Example         | Description                                 |
+| ------ | --------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
+| Days   | 7 days          | Recipient has 7 days from when the document is sent |
+| Weeks  | 2 weeks         | Recipient has 2 weeks from when the document is sent |
+| Months | 3 months        | Recipient has 3 months from when the document is sent (default) |
+| Years  | 1 year          | Recipient has 1 year from when the document is sent |
+
+You can also set expiration to **never expires**, which means the signing link remains valid indefinitely.
+
+---
+
+## See Also
+
+- [Send Documents](/docs/users/documents/send) - Send documents for signing
+- [Document Preferences](/docs/users/organisations/preferences/document) - Configure default document settings
+- [Add Recipients](/docs/users/documents/add-recipients) - Add signers and other recipients to a document

apps/docs/content/docs/users/organisations/preferences/document.mdx

@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ To access the preferences, navigate to either the organisation or teams settings
 | **Include the Signing Certificate**  | Whether the signing certificate is embedded in signed PDFs. The certificate is always available separately from the logs page.  |
 | **Include the Audit Logs**           | Whether the audit logs are embedded in the document when downloaded. The audit logs are always available separately from the logs page. |
 | **Default Recipients**               | Recipients that are automatically added to new documents. Can be overridden per document.                                       |
+| **Default Envelope Expiration**      | How long recipients have to sign before the signing link expires. See [recipient expiration](/docs/users/documents/advanced/recipient-expiration). |
 | **Delegate Document Ownership**      | Allow team API tokens to delegate document ownership to another team member.                                                    |
 | **AI Features**                      | Enable AI-powered features such as automatic recipient detection. Only shown if AI features are configured on the instance.     |