# Signing order

Signing order is the rule for who signs when: either one at a time in a fixed sequence, or everyone at once in any order.

## In plain words

When a document has more than one signer, someone has to decide the flow. There are two common choices.

- **Sequential.** Signer 1 gets the link first. Signer 2 only gets theirs after signer 1 signs. And so on.
- **Parallel.** Everyone gets their link at the same time and signs whenever they like.

Sequential order suits documents where one side should commit first, or where a later signer should see the earlier signatures. Parallel order is faster when it doesn't matter.

## An example

An offer letter often goes in sequence. The company's signer signs first, so the candidate receives a letter the company has already committed to. A [mutual NDA](/templates/mutual-nda) usually goes in parallel. Both sides are making the same promise, so there is no reason to wait.

## How it shows up in docuinked

Set `ordered` to `true` on `create_document` and signers sign one at a time, in the order you list them. Leave it `false` and all signers get their links at once. Signer numbers in fields follow the list: `signer: 1` is the first person, `signer: 2` the second.

```json
{"title": "Offer letter",
 "pdf_url": "https://example.com/offer.pdf",
 "signers": [{"name": "Sam Ortiz", "email": "sam@example.com"},
             {"name": "Lee Park", "email": "lee@example.com"}],
 "ordered": true}
```

The signing order is part of the `draft_hash`. If an agent changes it after a person approves, the send is refused. Every document can have up to 10 signers during the beta. See the [API reference](/docs/api).

## Common confusions

**Order is not routing.** Some tools offer conditional routing, such as "send to legal only if the amount is over a limit". docuinked doesn't. You can build that logic in your own code or [workflow](/workflows) before calling the API.

**Order doesn't change what each person signs.** Every signer signs the same document. Order only decides when they get it.

## Related terms

- [Envelope](/glossary/envelope)
- [Template](/glossary/template), where signer roles are fixed in order
- [Webhook](/glossary/webhook), to hear when each signer finishes

## Common questions

### Can I change the signing order after sending?

No. A sent document can't change. Void it and send a new one with the order you want, and the old one stays on record as voided.

### How does a later signer know it is their turn?

They get their email only when the signers before them have finished. Your system can also listen for `signer.signed` webhooks to track each step.

### Can two people sign at the same step in a sequence?

Not today. With `ordered` true, each signer is one step. If two people should sign together, put them next to each other and accept that one goes first, or use parallel order.