Once an envelope is sent, the signing process is driven by the recipients. Each recipient receives a personalised email notification and interacts with the envelope through the hosted signing session. Every action — from opening to completion — is recorded in the Audit Trail.
Sending is a separate step from creating the envelope, triggered via GET /signatures/envelope/{envelopeId}/send. This dispatches email notifications to recipients — simultaneously for parallel signing, or to the first recipient in a sequential signing order.
When a recipient opens their personalised link, they are first shown the Electronic Record and Signature Disclosure. After agreeing, the envelope opens with all documents and fields assigned to that recipient ready to complete.
For each signature field, the recipient can choose how to sign — by typing their name in a handwriting-style font, drawing a signature, uploading an image, or using a previously saved signature.
See Signature Fields Reference for the full list of field types and how each is fulfilled.
Recipients without a Doctavian account can still open and sign envelopes through the hosted signing view.
A digital signature field requires a PKI certificate for validation. Signing is handled via the NexU client-side application, which bridges the browser with the recipient's smart card reader or local keystore. Once applied, the signature is embedded directly in the PDF with full certificate information.
Digital signature fields require the NexU application and a compatible Java Runtime to be installed on the recipient's machine.
If a recipient does not wish to sign, they can decline and provide an optional reason. If the declining recipient was designated as mandatory, the entire envelope is declined and all other recipients are notified.
During the signing session, a recipient can attach supporting files to the envelope and leave comments on a document — both are part of the hosted signing experience rather than something an integrator triggers directly. Depending on configuration, attachments are either embedded in the completed PDF or delivered alongside it as email attachments. Both actions are recorded in the audit trail.
The primary way to monitor signing progress is GET /signatures/envelope/{envelopeId}/get. The response returns the full current state of the envelope — documents, recipients, fields, comments, attachments, and any sign groups — including each recipient's individual status, so you can see exactly who has signed, who's next, and what's still outstanding without waiting on email notifications alone.
When all required recipients have completed their actions, the envelope moves to Completed status and all parties receive a notification with the final signed document and audit trail.