Are We Allowed to Change Signature? Read This Explanation First!

A signature is a certain symbol or name that is written by hand to provide validity to a document. A signature can also be used as proof of receipt of an item and express approval of a written request. When viewed from its function, the signature is something very important. However, what is often a question for many people is, is it okay to change signature?

To answer this question, you can find out the answer in the following AdIns article. You will learn important information about the things that underlie a signature that can be changed and still be considered valid through the information that AdIns will present in the discussion below. In addition, you will also get additional information regarding the legal impact of changing your signature and how to change your signature on an electronic ID card.

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Given its very important role, making a signature cannot be underestimated. The signature must be made as unique as possible so that it is difficult to imitate and not easily misused by irresponsible parties that can harm you. This is often the reason why people are often advised to renew their signature.

The security factor of a signature does need to be taken into account to avoid unwanted things such as fraud, forgery of signature, and other crimes. However, is it okay for someone to do a signature change?

Related to this, article 1875 of the Civil Code (Indonesian: KUHPer) has regulated it. The contents of the article are as follows:

“A handwriting that is acknowledged to be true by the person who is brought before him or legally deemed to have been justified by him gives rise to complete evidence such as an authentic deed for the people who signed it, the heirs, and the people who have rights from them; the provisions of Article 1871 apply to the writing.”

Based on the regulations in article 1875 of the Civil Code, it is permissible to change the signature as long as the person who made it acknowledges the truth. Even if the signature has been changed, all previous documents using the old signature are still considered valid.

Then, what if the person does not acknowledge the signature before the changes that have been written on a document or agreement? In this case, the party aggrieved by the change of signature can apply for verification in court.

It has also been regulated in article 1877 of the Civil Code, which states that:

“If a person denies his writing or signature, or if his heirs or the person who has rights thereof do not acknowledge it, the Judge must order that the veracity of the writing or signature be examined before the Court.”

So, you don’t have to worry if you want to change your signature, because everything is regulated by law.

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Legal Impact of Changing Our Signature

“Can we change signature” is often a question that makes many people confused because the signature has a very close relationship with the administrative process. In fact, since childhood, you have always used signatures for several important activities such as signing school attendance, signing report cards and diplomas, and making passbooks. Then, does changing the signature have a legal impact?

Legally, there isn’t much of an impact if you change your signature. As long as you and the other party are concerned to acknowledge the signature, the validity is still recognized. Some of the possible impacts of changing signatures are as such:

1. Hampering Administration

When you make changes to your signature, you will experience obstacles when taking care of an administration. This is because it takes time to adjust or match your old self data with the new one. This process can take a long time, it is even possible that your administrative process will be rejected.

2. The Need to Update Older Documents

The next impact of changing signatures is that you need to update all signatures on old important documents such as ID cards, diplomas, family registries, savings books, and insurance. This is done so that all your important documents will still be valid.

3. Old Documents are Rendered Invalid

In some cases, making a change to your signature may also result in your old document being invalidated. This usually happens to agencies or companies that have strict regulations such as banking, insurance, and hospitals. Therefore, it is important to have the same signature on all your documents, both old and new.

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How Can We Change Signature in Our Online ID Cards?

When you change your signature, an important document that needs to be updated is your E-KTP or electronic ID card. This is because the ID card is an identification that can be used as a reference regarding the authenticity of personal data and a person’s identity. The difference in the signature on the ID card can be an obstacle when carrying out the administrative process because it is considered invalid.

So, what if you want to change the signature on the electronic ID card? The Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration of the Ministry of Home Affairs states that to change the signature on the E-KTP, you only need to visit the local Population and Civil Registration office.

Changing the signature is also quite easy and does not require any requirements. However, keep in mind that when you change the signature on the E-KTP, the signatures on other documents such as insurance and banking must also be replaced.

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So, that’s a complete explanation regarding the change of signature, starting from whether it is permissible or not, the impact it has, to how to replace it on the E-KTP. However, the use of manual signatures is now less effective since the advent of digital signatures.

Digital signatures provide more benefits than manual signatures. Some of the advantages of digital signatures include being difficult to forge, easy to trace, environmentally friendly, and more time and cost-efficient.

So, are we allowed to change signature? We can, but we definitely should understand its implications as seen above. For those of you who are interested in using digital signatures, you can try AdIns’ Digital Signature service. Contact AdIns now for further information, and we hope your curiosity is sated after reading this article!