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How Does Signature Routing Work?

Antony Campitelli
Updated

What is covered in this article?

Overview

Signature Routing allows forms created in Apply to be signed by multiple contacts who are not necessarily in the same location. Rather than requiring all contacts to sign in the same browser session, each contact receives a notification via email or SMS with a secure link and can sign the form remotely at their own convenience.

This is particularly useful in situations where contacts are separated, overseas, divorced, or where court orders prevent personal details from being shared between parties.

Note: Signature Routing is available on Apply forms only and the form must have the Signature Stepper enabled.

Publishing Forms to Support Signature Routing

Any forms that were published before version 26.1 (March of 2026) will need to be republished to support signature routing. Please review this article to learn more. 

How Does Signature Routing Work?

When the first contact (the person filling out the form) reaches the Signature step, they must choose whether each additional contact on the form will sign. 

Once the first contact submits, and other contacts are required to sign, the form moves to a new Pending Signatures status, and the designated contacts are notified automatically.

The form will automatically transition to Submitted once all required contacts have signed.
 

Signing Options for Other Contacts

For each additional contact on the form, the first contact must select one of the following options for signature Routing:

  • Yes — The other contact will receive a notification with a secure link to sign the form remotely via the Contact Portal.
  • No — The contact will not be required to sign (e.g., due to a court order or because their signature is not needed). A reason for not signing must be provided.
     



What Happens After the First Contact Submits?

Once the first contact submits the form:

  1. The form status changes to Pending Signatures.
  2. Any contact designated for Signature Routing receives a notification via their preferred communication method (email or SMS) with a secure link to the Contact Portal.
  3. The form becomes read-only for school users — it can be previewed but not edited.
  4. As each contact signs, the form is updated automatically.

  5. School users can view the form in preview mode to see who is still required to sign

  6. Once all required contacts have signed, the form automatically transitions to Submitted and all contacts are notified.

Note: A form cannot be moved back from Pending Signatures to In Progress. If a contact does not sign, the form will remain in Pending Signatures until the matter is resolved manually or by the school.

Monitoring Pending Signatures as a School User

To see which forms are awaiting signatures:

  1. Go to Applications > Apply Forms.
  2. Use the Status filter and select Pending Signatures.
  3. The Form Status column will display how many signatures are still outstanding for each form.

Sending Signature Reminders

School users can manually send reminders to contacts who have not yet signed. There are two ways to do this:

From the Apply Forms list view:

  1. Go to Applications > Apply Forms and filter by Pending Signatures status.
  2. Select the records you wish to send an email to by clicking the checkbox on the left hand side
  3. Click the Send Contact Message button and select Send Reminder option 
  4. Select a time threshold (e.g., contacts not reminded in the last 3 days)
  5. NOTE: Emails will only be sent to those forms that have a signature pending and match the recency criterion
  6. Click SEND to send reminders to all matching contacts.

From the application preview page:

  1. Open the relevant application.
  2. Click the Send Contact Message button and select Send Reminder option 

How Contacts Sign Remotely (Contact Portal)

When a contact receives a Signature Routing notification, they follow these steps to sign the form:

Step 1 — Open the link

  • Click the link in the notification email or SMS. This takes you to the Contact Portal login screen.

Step 2 — Verify your identity

  • You will be asked to verify your identity using a One-Time Password (OTP):
  • Select whether you'd like to receive the code via email or mobile phone (if both are on file, you can choose).
  • Click Send Code.
  • Enter the 6-digit code you receive.
  • Click Verify to access the portal.

Note: If you did not receive the code, click Resend Code.

Step 3 — Review & Sign the form

  • Once logged in, you will land on the following screen
  • Click Next 

Step 4 — Update your own details

  • Here you can review and complete your own personal contact information if any details are missing or out of date.

Step 5 - Review the Form

  • The form is read-only — you can review all details entered by the first contact but cannot make changes to them.
  • Click Next

Step 6 — Sign the form

  1. Review the declaration and check the required acknowledgment boxes.
  2. Sign in the signature pad.
  3. Optionally, add a comment if you have any concerns or notes (since you cannot edit the form data itself, comments allow you to flag any disagreements for the school to review).
  4. The date will be filled in automatically.
  5. Click CONFIRM to submit your signature.

You will then be taken to Thank You Page which allows you to preview the final application and download or print a copy.

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