Sign Your Passport in Ink (No Ballpoint Pens)?!

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marco2009

Registered Users (C)
I am puzzled with newcitizen site recommendation about signing passport:

"6. Sign Your Passport in Ink (No Ballpoint Pens)
Please sign it in ink using a felt-tip, rollerball or calligraphy-type pen (no ballpoint pens)."

I do not understand why not I can use regular ballpoint pen to sign passport? What type of pen have you used?
 
marco2009 said:
I am puzzled with newcitizen site recommendation about signing passport:

"6. Sign Your Passport in Ink (No Ballpoint Pens)
Please sign it in ink using a felt-tip, rollerball or calligraphy-type pen (no ballpoint pens)."

I do not understand why not I can use regular ballpoint pen to sign passport? What type of pen have you used?
Click to expand...

I am not sure, but I think it has to do with ball-pen ink not being so secure, because it would be easier for someone who steals your certificate to erase your signature and put another one. I guess the other types of ink are more forgery resistant.

You might have a felt-tip pen around somewhere. I forgot, but I think I used a rollerball pen, perhaps a felt-tip.

My 2 cents.
 
My guess is that most (if not all) ball-point inks fade quicker and/or are easier to forge since they dry quickly and don't get absorbed (bleed) into the passport paper fiber. A felt ink on the other hand bleeds into the paper and remains a permanent fixture of the fiber.
 
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I think when they say ink they mean a pen, as opposed to a pencil. Were those specific instructions on an official form?
 
Bobsmyth said:
My guess is that most (if not all) ball-point inks fade quicker and/or are easier to forge since they dry quickly and don't get absorbed (bleed) into the passport paper fiber. A felt ink on the other hand bleeds into the paper and remains a permanent fixture of the fiber.
Click to expand...

At oath, we were given ballpoint pen to sign our naturalization certificate in front of officers.
 
It boils down to what a recommendation is vs what a requirement is. In the end the choice is yours..it doesn't mean you have to follow it.
 
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