How to Request Signatures from Multiple People

Multi-party signatures used to mean printing the contract, mailing it with tracked post, and waiting. Now it is a 10-minute setup. This guide covers the three main multi-signer patterns — parallel, ordered, and bulk — and how to pick the right one.

The Three Patterns

Before you set anything up, identify which pattern matches your document:

• Parallel signing: Every signer can sign at any time, in any order. Use for bilateral contracts, NDAs, mutual agreements.
• Ordered signing: Signer A must complete before signer B is notified. Use for approval chains, board resolutions with seniority, offer letter then countersignature.
• Bulk signing: The same document is sent to many recipients, each signs their own copy independently. Use for onboarding cohorts, event waivers, annual policy refreshers.

Parallel Signing — Step-by-Step

1. Open SignBolt and upload your PDF.
2. Click "Send for Signature."
3. Add each signer's name and email. For each, specify where their signature goes on the PDF (drag the signature field to the correct location).
4. Choose "Parallel" as the signing mode.
5. Customise the email subject and message (optional).
6. Set reminder schedule (default: 3, 7, 14 days).
7. Click Send.
8. Each signer receives a unique link by email. SignBolt tracks progress in your dashboard.
9. When every signer has completed, all parties receive a fully-signed PDF with combined audit trail.

Ordered Signing — Step-by-Step

1. Upload the PDF and click "Send for Signature."
2. Add signers in the order they should sign (drag to reorder).
3. Choose "Ordered" as the signing mode.
4. Only signer 1 receives the email on send. Signer 2 is notified automatically once signer 1 completes, and so on.
5. Dashboard shows which signer is currently holding the document.
6. Final signed PDF with sequential audit trail is distributed to all parties.

Bulk Signing — Step-by-Step

1. Save your document as a SignBolt template (upload, mark merge fields, save).
2. Go to /sign/bulk.
3. Pick the template.
4. Upload a CSV with columns: email, name, and any merge fields (e.g., start_date, contract_amount).
5. Preview the first two recipients' merged documents to verify.
6. Click Send.
7. Every recipient receives their own personalised document for signature. You track completion in the bulk dashboard.

Real Workflow Examples

Bilateral Contract (2 parties, parallel)

A freelancer sends a project contract to a client. Parallel mode. Both can sign at any time. When both are done, each receives the fully-signed PDF with audit trail showing both signatures' IPs, timestamps, and verified emails.

Board Resolution (7 directors, parallel)

A company secretary sends a board resolution to 7 directors. Parallel mode. Directors sign as they find time over a week. The resolution is finalised once the 7th signature arrives.

Employment Offer (offer letter, ordered)

HR sends an offer letter. The candidate signs first, then the hiring manager countersigns. Ordered mode ensures the manager does not sign until the candidate has accepted.

Tenancy Lease (landlord, agent, tenant, ordered)

Property managers use an ordered flow: tenant signs first, guarantor signs second (if applicable), landlord countersigns last. This mirrors the traditional paper process and avoids locking the landlord in before the tenant has committed.

Onboarding Cohort (20 new hires, bulk)

Monday morning orientation. 20 new hires need to sign NDA, employment contract, and device policy. Bulk send three documents across 20 recipients — 60 individual signing requests, all dispatched in one action.

Tracking and Auditing

The SignBolt dashboard shows real-time status for every multi-signer document:

• Pending — not yet opened.
• Viewed — opened but not signed.
• Signed — completed.
• Declined — signer refused.
• Expired — past the deadline.

The audit trail for a completed multi-signer document lists every signer's IP, user-agent, timestamp, and verified email — plus a single hash of the final combined PDF.

When to Upgrade from Parallel to Ordered

Start with parallel unless you have a specific reason to enforce order. Ordered signing adds complexity — if one signer is slow, the whole chain stalls. Use ordered when:

• A senior approver should not sign before a junior one has.
• The document changes based on an earlier signer's input (rare).
• Legal or governance rules require sequential execution.

For 80% of multi-party documents, parallel is faster and fine.

Related Reading

See how to set up signing order, bulk signing, how to send document for signature.

Frequently Asked Questions