Role & Signing Order Overview

Learn how recipient roles, signing order, sender signing options, and verification methods work together to control your document’s approval and signing flow.

April 23, 2026

1. Recipient Roles in GetAccept

There are four types of roles used when preparing documents: Recipient, Approver, Internal Approver, and Viewer. Each role has different responsibilities and visibility.

Signer

• A Recipient with the Signer role must legally sign the document.
• Their signing action is included in the signing order.
• They appear in the certificate and activity log.

Approver (External)

• Reviews and approves the document but does not sign.
• Visible to all recipients.
• Can interact in document chat.
• Actions appear in the certificate audit log.

Internal Approver

• Approves the document internally without being visible to external recipients.
• Not included in the certificate audit log.
• Cannot interact in chat.
• Useful for internal process checks before the document reaches customers.

Viewer

• Can open and read the document but cannot approve or sign.
• Similar to being CC’d on a document.
• Not included in the signing order.

2. Managing Signing Order

Signing order determines the sequence in which recipients act on the document.

How signing order works

• Recipients are assigned numbers representing their turn in the sequence.
• Multiple recipients can have the same number to sign in parallel.
• If numbering has gaps, it realigns automatically.
• If a recipient is placed in an incorrect sequence, a warning prevents saving.

Rules and constraints

• A signer must always be the final step; approvers cannot be last.
• Approvers and viewers can appear before signers.
• Approvers cannot be added after a document is sent (signers and viewers can).
• Signing order can be updated even after the document is sent.

When signing order matters

• Legal contracts requiring sequential signatures
• Internal review flows needing internal approval before customer signing
• Multi-stakeholder deals where groups sign at different times

3. Sender Signing Rules

Senders can choose how and when they sign the document.

The sender has three signing options:

1. Sign on send

• Your signature is applied automatically when you send the document.
• Useful for standard agreements where the sender signature is always required.

2. Sign as recipient

• You sign like any other recipient, following the signing order.
• Use this when the sender must sign after the customer or as part of a defined approval chain.
• Example sequences:
  • Customer → Account Manager
  • Employee → Manager → HR

3. Do not sign

• You are not part of the signing process.
• Useful for internal approvals or documents where only the recipient should sign.

These options give complete clarity and control over the sender’s role in the signature flow.

4. Verification & Authentication Types

Verification strengthens security by requiring proof of identity before opening or signing. Go to Recipient Settings to find it.

Verification on Open

Used to confirm identity before the document is viewed.

• SMS on Open: Requires entering a code sent by text message.
• Password Verification: Requires entering a predefined password.

Verification on Sign

Used when validating identity during the signing event.

• SMS on Sign: Code sent to the recipient’s phone; required to apply signature.
• Electronic Identification (eID): Supported national eID methods include:
  • Sweden: BankID
  • Norway: BankID NO
  • Denmark: MitID
  • Finland: FTN (Finnish Trust Network)

Identity capture

If signing with eID, the recipient’s personal identification number may appear in the recipient list depending on the eID provider.

Why verification matters

• Increases signing security
• Ensures legal and compliance requirements
• Prevents unauthorized access
• Adds certainty when signing high-risk or regulated documents

5. Managing Recipients and Roles

Recipient management ensures that each participant has the correct responsibilities and verification requirements.

What recipient management supports

• Adding recipients at any stage
• Assigning roles: Signer, Approver, Internal Approver, Viewer
• Changing roles when allowed
• Setting identification requirements
• Adjusting signing order
• Adding new signers or viewers even after the document is sent

Authorization requirements

When a role or verification method requires additional details (for example, phone number for SMS), you will be prompted to supply missing information before sending.

Summary

Roles and signing order define how documents are reviewed, approved, and signed.

• Signers complete the legal signature.
• External Approvers and Internal Approvers review but do not sign.
• Viewers observe only.
• Signing order enforces a controlled sequence of actions.
• Sender signing rules determine how the sender participates.
• Verification and authentication ensure secure document access and signing.

Together, these settings create a structured, compliant, and flexible signing workflow.