Multiple signers and signing order

A Box Sign request can include several people, each with a different job. Set a role for every person, and use order when they need to act one after another. Set both when you create the request.

Signer roles

Each person needs a role: signer, approver, or final_copy_reader.

Role	What they do
`signer`	Adds data to the document: signature, initials, date, text, checkboxes, or radio buttons.
`approver`	Approves the request before preparation (if enabled) and before any signer is notified.
`final_copy_reader`	Does not sign. Receives a copy of the signed document and signing log.

If you do not give the requester a role, Box Sign adds them as final_copy_reader. Approvers and final copy readers cannot have signature properties. If you assign signature properties to them, Box Sign changes their role to signer. In the prepare UI, each signer has a color so you can see which fields belong to which person. For more detail on what each role can do, see the roles for signers support article.

Signing order

If you omit order, Box Sign notifies every signer at the same time. If you set order, only the lowest number is notified first. After they sign, the next group is notified. Signers that share an order value receive the request at the same time. Box Sign adds a new file version to parent_folder as each signer completes. A decline stops the request for everyone who has not signed yet, and the request status becomes declined.

curl -i -X POST "https://api.box.com/2.0/sign_requests" \
     -H "authorization: Bearer <ACCESS_TOKEN>" \
     -H "content-type: application/json" \
     -d '{
       "is_document_preparation_needed": true,
       "parent_folder": {
         "type": "folder",
         "id": "0987654321"
       },
       "source_files": [
         {
           "type": "file",
           "id": "123456789"
         }
       ],
       "signers": [
         {
           "email": "institution@example.com",
           "role": "signer",
           "order": 1
         },
         {
           "email": "student@example.com",
           "role": "signer",
           "order": 2
         },
         {
           "email": "dean@example.com",
           "role": "approver"
         },
         {
           "email": "legal@example.com",
           "role": "final_copy_reader"
         }
       ]
     }'

Flow with an approver, two signers, and a final copy reader

In this example, the dean approves first, then the institution signs, then the student signs, and legal receives the final copy.

When you create the request from a template, keep signer order in the POST body the same as the order on the template so the correct person gets each field. See Create a sign request with a template.

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Multiple signers and signing order

Signer roles

Signing order

​Signer roles

​Signing order

Signer roles

Signing order