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!

  • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
    30·
    6 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.