How often should I chase a supplier for a document?

A gentle first chase after a week, a follow-up ten days later and a polite escalation to a named decision maker after three weeks. Any faster and you sound tense. Any slower and it drifts forever.

Is it OK to send these as-is?

Yes, but a personal line at the top helps. Templates get the boring bits out of the way so you can spend your energy on the human bit.

Can I edit the templates?

Absolutely. Copy any template, tweak the wording and use it as your house style. Credbase lets you save personalised templates and send them from your Credbase inbox.

Should I attach the document request form?

Better to link to an upload page than to attach a form. It removes friction, avoids reply-all confusion and gives you a proper record of what was uploaded and when.

Do these templates work outside the UK?

The tone is UK-professional. Wording is generic enough for most English-language markets. Adjust the sign-off and any regulator references before sending.

Free tool

Document request email templates

Six polite, professional templates for requesting and chasing supplier documents. Fill in a few fields, then copy into your email client.

Who this is for

Ops and compliance teams chasing supplier documents by email
Account managers who need a firmer nudge without sounding tense
Founders and finance leads doing supplier onboarding themselves

Problem it solves

Writing the same polite chase email for the fifth time this week is a tax on your day. These templates cover the whole arc - initial request, first chase, escalation, expiring soon and thank-you - so you spend energy on the human bit, not the wording.

Contact nameSupplierYour companyYour nameDocumentExpiry date (if relevant)

Preview

Subject:public liability insurance certificate for our records

Hi {{contact}},

Hope you are well. To keep our records up to date for {{yourCompany}} we need a current copy of your public liability insurance certificate.

Could you send it across at your convenience? A PDF is perfect.

Thanks in advance,
{{yourName}}

How it works

Step 1
Pick a template
Initial request, first chase, second chase, escalation, expiring soon or thank-you.
Step 2
Fill in the fields
Only what applies. Anything left blank keeps its placeholder so you can spot gaps.
Step 3
Copy and send
Paste subject and body into your email client. Or draft from Credbase to keep the trail attached.

Questions and answers

Where this tool stops

A polite email still needs someone to chase, file and verify the reply.

Copy-pasting is the easy bit. Tracking who's replied, storing the returned certificate somewhere sensible and chasing the ones who ghosted - that's the actual work.

Credbase sends the same request, tracks who's opened and returned it, files the document to the right supplier and chases automatically.

Send and track requests in Credbase Back to all tools

This tool is a plain-English guide for teams handling third-party paperwork. It is not legal, insurance or compliance advice. Confirm specifics with the counterparty or your own adviser before you rely on any output.

Document request email templates

Who this is for and what it solves