Your first official signature: ID, bank account and exams at 16–18

When does a signature become “official”?

A signature becomes official when an institution records it and later compares your signatures with it. There's no ceremony involved: it's enough for it to go on an ID, a bank account form or a contract. From then on, that's your sample signature in that place.

That's why so many people say they picked their first official signature “by accident”. They never thought it through, because until then every signature was just practice. And then the version they scribbled in a hurry at fifteen stayed on their ID.

Where is your signature recorded first?

The order and the ages vary by country, but for most young people these places come up around 16–18, often earlier:

• ID card and passport. In many countries your own signature goes on the document during your teens, and it stays there until the document expires. Many offices now capture it on a digital pad.
• Bank account and bank card. When you open your first own account, the bank may record your signature, and there may be space for it on the back of the card. For under-18s a parent often signs too.
• Student ID and school forms. Less strict places, but often your own signature goes on them.
• Exams. Final exams, language tests, entrance exams: attendance sheets, answer papers, declarations. Your signature sits next to other people's, so it needs to be unambiguous.
• Driving licence. If your licence carries a signature, that's another one that lasts years.
• Part-time jobs and first contracts. An employment contract, a phone contract, a gym, student housing. On a contract, your signature is the evidence that you agreed.
• Medical, travel and other consent forms. Consent forms, school trips, sports camps: you sign more and more papers alongside your parents, or instead of them.

What changes at 18?

In most countries you become a legal adult at 18, and from then on your signature alone is enough for many things that used to need a parent's consent too: contracts, bank accounts, loans, tenancy agreements. The exact rules and exceptions vary by country.

• More paperwork, less help. Until now your parents checked what you signed. As an adult it's your responsibility, and after signing it's hard to say you didn't read it.
• Your signature everywhere. At the bank, at work, when renting a flat: more and more places record the same sample. If it's consistent by then, you'll save yourself a lot of hassle.
• Online too. You'll sign more and more contracts on screen or as a PDF. Our article on signing PDFs helps with that.

Before you sign anything, read it. That sounds obvious, but with first contracts many people skim past it. Our pre-signing checklist collects what to look out for.

Why decide before then?

• Because it stays for years. An ID or passport is valid for several years, and a bank uses the recorded sample until it's next updated.
• Because changing it means updating it everywhere. You can change your signature later, but then you have to go round every place the old one was recorded. The fewer places, the easier, and easiest of all is not needing to change. We describe how switching works in this article.
• Because consistency matters from now on. If you use one form at the bank, another in an exam and a third on a contract, someone may query it at some point.
• Because there's no time at the counter. At the office you sign once, quickly, often on a touch pad. It's not the place to experiment.

How far ahead should you start?

You don't need months of preparation, but don't leave it to the night before either. A comfortable timeline:

1. 1
   Two to three months before: design. Collect samples from your own hand, decide how much of your name to include, and pick two or three candidates. Our guide to designing your own signature takes you through it step by step.
2. 2
   A month before: decide. Choose one candidate and write only that from then on. Don't mix it with the old ones.
3. 3
   During the last month: practise. A few minutes a day. On paper, in small boxes, standing up, and with your finger on a phone.
4. 4
   The last week: tests. Speed, small space and repetition tests. If anything falls apart, there's still time to simplify.
5. 5
   The day before: nothing new. Don't change anything. Write it a few times and let it rest.

What to put in, and what to leave out

The heart-and-star versions have their place: as an autograph, for dedications, on a leavers' shirt. But an official signature should be one you'd be happy to see on a job contract in your late twenties. We explain the difference in our article on autographs.

The ten-year test

Before you decide, ask yourself: if I see this signature on an important contract ten years from now, will I be happy with it? It's the best filter for a first official signature.

• Is it still yours at twenty-eight? A form that's too childish or too trendy can feel awkward in a few years. A simple, tidy form suits any age.
• Can it survive repetition? Over ten years you'll write it hundreds, maybe thousands of times. A complicated form blurs over that many repetitions.
• Can it survive change? If you ever change your name, after marriage for example, it helps if the capital and style can carry over to the new name. More on that here.

Your first official signature shouldn't be the prettiest one you can manage, but the one you can still write the same way in ten years.

On the day: how to walk in

At the passport office, the bank or the exam, signing takes a moment, but a few things help a lot:

• Write it a few times beforehand. On a scrap of paper while you wait your turn. It warms up your hand.
• Ask where it goes. Which box, and whether you need to stay inside the frame. If it's a touch pad, check its size.
• On a touch pad, slow down slightly. On a smooth surface the stylus slips easily. Write a little slower than usual, but in one movement. Our article on signing on screens has more tips.
• If it goes wrong, say so. If it slipped badly on the pad or on paper, ask whether you can redo it. Many places allow this, but it varies.
• Don't change it afterwards. Use the signature you put on your ID at the bank and in exams too.

A checklist for your first official signature

1. 1
   Is your surname in it? At least its initial or its beginning.
2. 2
   Is the capital clean and recognisable? It's the anchor; it should stay readable when you rush.
3. 3
   Does it come out the same five times fast? If not, simplify.
4. 4
   Does it fit a 4 × 1 cm box? That's about the space most documents and cards give you.
5. 5
   Does it work with a finger on a screen? Many places use a touch pad.
6. 6
   Would you be happy with it in ten years? Without hearts and stars, on a contract.
7. 7
   Have you been writing it for at least a month? Your hand needs that long to stop reverting to the old one.

For parents: how you can help

If your teenager is about to give their first official signature, the most helpful thing is to mention it in time: a few weeks before an ID renewal or a first bank account, sit down together and look at what their signature will be. Don't teach them yours, and don't let your taste decide; help with the tests instead, and with thinking through what a signature means on a contract.

Prepare with Calligra

Calligra first scores your current signature: how legible, unique, elegant, balanced and fast it is. Then it designs several versions from your name and teaches your chosen one stroke by stroke with animation, with a practice pad where you can check with your finger that it works on a screen too. That way you don't have to invent it at the counter.

Try it with your name before your first ID or bank card.

Questions