Is there a way to have pre-signed documents in template?

Hello ​@Crowdberry Tech 

Thank you for reaching out, and welcome to the Docusign Community! I understand the need to streamline your process when sending a high volume of documents.

At this time, Docusign does not support pre-signing documents within a template. Templates are designed to define recipients, roles, and fields, but an actual signature must be applied during the sending/signing process by the assigned recipient for compliance and audit trail purposes.

Additionally, signatures cannot be stored or pre-filled in a template. The signer must complete the signing action themselves.

How To Create a Template

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Ma. Cassandra | Docusign Community Moderator
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Hello ​@Crowdberry Tech 

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Sincerely,

Ma. Cassandra| Docusign Community Moderator

Hi ​@Ma.Cubio 

Thanks for the clarification. That makes sense from a compliance and audit perspective.

As a potential workaround, would it be acceptable to include our organisation’s signature directly within the document prior to uploading it into the template (i.e. as part of the document content), and then configure the envelope to require only one signer from the recipient organisation?

Just want to confirm that this approach would still be compliant with DocuSign’s requirements and won’t impact the audit trail or validity of the agreement.

Hello ​@MissDolly 
Thank you for reaching out, and welcome to the Docusign Community! Thanks for the great question!
Yes, you can add your organization’s signature directly to the document before uploading it, and then send it to the recipient for signature. Just keep in mind that Docusign only tracks signatures made inside the envelope.
Your pre-added signature will be treated as part of the document, not a recorded signing action. It won’t appear in the audit trail or Certificate of Completion. So while this setup can work, only the recipient’s signature will have full Docusign tracking and verification.

Audit Logs
What is an Audit Trail? Your Guide to Compliance and Security

If you found the response to be a useful solution to your question, please “like” and mark it as the best answer by clicking “Select as Best” to make it easier for other users to find. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Ma. Cassandra | Docusign Community Moderator
If this helped, feel free to Like👍and click "Best Answer"