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Signing

Signing order, several signatories, one person for several parties

Decide who signs when, add several signatories to a party, and handle one person signing for more than one party.

Written By Sebastian

Last updated About 13 hours ago

By default, all signatories receive their invitation at the same time and can sign in any order. You can also make them sign one after another, add several signatories to one party, and let one person sign for several parties.

Available on all plans

Set a signing order

  1. Click Start signing.

  2. Turn on the signing order.

  3. Arrange the signatories in the order they should sign. [CHECK: drag to reorder, or order follows the order the parties were added?]

  4. Click Start signing again.

Only the first signatory is invited at first. Each next signatory gets their invitation when the previous one has signed. A signatory who isn't next yet can open the document but can't sign it.

Tip: Many companies let the other side sign first and sign last themselves, so they only sign once the counterparty has committed.

Several signatories for one party

Add as many signatories to a party as you need, for example two managing directors. Each signatory signs separately. By default the party has one signature block listing all its signatories; you can split it so each signatory signs in their own place. See Place and adjust signature blocks.

External signatories can also add a co-signatory from their own company while they open the document.

One person signing for several parties

Each email address can be used only once per document. If one person signs for two parties, for example for a parent company and its subsidiary, give them a second address using a plus suffix:

  • Party A: anna.berger@company.com

  • Party B: anna.berger+1@company.com

Most email providers deliver both to the same inbox, so the person receives two invitations and signs once for each party. Check with your IT that plus addresses are delivered.

The same trick works for testing: send documents to yourself as name+test@company.com to see what an external signatory sees.

Good to know

  • With qualified signatures (QES), the signing order is mandatory.

  • If a template turns on the signing order in its general settings, every document created from it uses the signing order.

  • Mixed orders aren't possible, for example one person first and then everyone else in any order. Either all signatories sign one after another, or all at once.

  • You can't change the signing order after signing has started. You can still add, remove or edit signatories. See Change signatories or cancel signing after it has started.

  • Signing several documents in one go, or setting one order across several documents, isn't possible. Each document has its own signing process.

Troubleshooting

A signatory can open the document but can't sign? There's a signing order and it isn't their turn yet. They'll get an email when it is.

fynk says the email address is already used? The same address is already a signatory for another party in this document. Use a plus suffix as described above.

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