Envelope rules for qualified signers

An envelope with at least one qualified signer follows the rules on this page. Envelopes without one skip them.

SignatureAPI checks the rules when you create the envelope and again when it’s sent. A broken rule returns 422 Unprocessable Entity, with a type that names the rule.

Most rules come from one fact: each qualified signature covers the document exactly as it stands at that signer’s turn. After the first qualified signature, nothing but the next qualified signature may change the document.

Account

Rule	Error
Qualified signatures are enabled for your account. One setting covers test and live mode.	qualified-signature-not-enabled
A live envelope needs an active signing worker connected for live mode. Test envelopes use the sandbox worker when you haven’t connected one. See Go live.	qualified-signing-worker-not-connected

Routing

Rule	Error
routing is sequential. Set it explicitly: when you leave it out, your account’s default routing applies.	invalid-qualified-routing

Recipients

Recipient	Allowed?	Error
Qualified signer	Yes, as many as you need. Each signs in their own session, in order.
Signer	No, not anywhere in the envelope	invalid-qualified-mixed-signers
Automatic signer	Only before the first qualified signer	invalid-qualified-automatic-signer
Approver	Yes, anywhere
Preparer	Yes, anywhere

A qualified signer requires scheme, and eu_eidas is the only value. It accepts the same ceremony, delivery_type and signature_options properties as a signer.

Places

Rule	Error
Each qualified signer has exactly one place, of type signature.	invalid-qualified-recipient-places
Only the first recipient can have places other than signature or initials, such as text inputs, checkboxes, dropdowns, or recipient name, email and date places. This applies to later approvers and preparers too.	invalid-qualified-places
The envelope has no envelope_completed_date place.	invalid-qualified-envelope-completed-date-place

In practice, put every input place on a first recipient, usually a preparer. Places without a recipient_key aren’t affected by the second rule.

Attestation and deliverable

Rule	Error
attestation is none or left out. Qualified signatures and attestations don’t combine.	invalid-qualified-attestation
The deliverable has no password.	invalid-qualified-deliverable-encryption
The deliverable’s included_documents is left out, or lists every document of the envelope.	invalid-qualified-deliverable-documents

The deliverable is a single PDF with all of the envelope’s documents, and it has no audit log. A standard deliverable becomes simple.