# 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.