this post was submitted on 29 Apr 2024

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Why do passports need to be signed to be valid? (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/nostupidquestions

15 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I do not know if it's true for all countries, but at least the USA and the UK require your passport to be signed to be valid. And I know that when I fly, I sometimes get checked if it is signed.

Is there a practical reason for this? Does the signature get checked against anything? Or is it simply that the law says a passport must be signed to be valid, so there you go?

I googled around a bit, but only found resources on how to sign, but not why it needs to be signed.

Thank you Internet hive mind!

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 7 months ago

The theory is that you've signed your passport and it's on a type of paper that will visibly deform if you try to erase it or white paper over it - so in theory a border guard could ask for your signature and compare it to the one on the document as a proof of identity.

In the modern world this doesn't really matter because we've got a lot better ways to authenticate - including databases with your signature already in them.

However, the tradition lives on.

Oh also, it's always a good idea to get someone to sign something if they're doing fraudulent stuff - since it's absolutely trivial to prove a forged signature done in front of a witness in court... it's like getting Capone for tax fraud - easy to prove cases are easy.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Legacy from a time when it was used as authentication. I guess. I sure find myself not reproducing my past signatures very well. Never got me in to trouble.

[–] Hatechildren 11 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I had my passport renewal denied because the signature on the renewal form didn't match the old passport. And since I no longer had the old passport to copy the signature style when I resubmitted, I had to throw in a photo copy of my drivers license (that had my signature), use that signature style on the new form, and a letter explaining that the signature on the new form matches something official and is correct.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

That is a crazy process. But I'm happy that you were somehow able to get a new passport :).

[–] acetanilide 3 points 7 months ago

Banks will sometimes require your signature match the original signature they have on file. I'm guessing it's not as common anymore with online banking but I know a few years ago I had to sign something a number of times because it wasn't close enough to the original.

I thought about it and it might have been around 10 years ago😬

[–] azulon 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I nearly got into trouble once. In a bank. I signed a document, the signature didn't quite match, they kept asking me to redo it ("we need it just like in the passport") but after the third or fourth try they let it through.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 7 months ago (2 children)

And how is it with people who cannot sign stuff due to some disability?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I personally have a signature stamp. I imagine that would work for anyone who has literally any range of motion, down to "can hold a stamp in their teeth and tilt their head a few degrees to press it against a document".

For people who don't have even that, I think a notary is allowed to sign on your behalf, if they can be provided documentation of your disability, but that will vary by country of course.

[–] acetanilide 8 points 7 months ago

Yes, a legal representative can do it. I'm not sure if just a notary would suffice though, at least not where I am.

Thumbprints are another possible way. Also simple marks like an X.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Not even a disability, but kids under 5-6 can't sign by themselves, and will nead at least another decade to come with a real signature.

Think about this 9 year old with a toddler photo on their passport and a parent signature over is

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Had to make a passport for my (at the time) 1yo. It had "not able" where the signature would go.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago

My understanding is that the signature is required to express that you've confirmed that the document is accurate.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

[off topic]

Back in the day, people were told to use cursive writing on checks and other documents because it was harder for crooks to forge them.

[–] nutsack 3 points 7 months ago

Just draw a picture of a frog