Signature Difference Affidavit in Vadodara | સહી ફેરફાર

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The moment this becomes urgent

Nobody thinks about their signature until a payment stops. A cheque returned with "drawer's signature differs". A maturity claim held up because the policy proposal from 1998 was signed in a schoolboy hand. A provident fund withdrawal stuck because the form was signed one way and the nomination record carries another. A property document where the earlier deed carries a signature the Sub-Registrar's clerk will not match to today's.

The cause is almost always innocent. Signatures drift over thirty years. People who signed in Gujarati at the start of a career sign in English later, or the reverse. Age, illness and injury change a hand. What the institution needs is not an explanation of why — it is a document on record, sworn by you, showing both versions and stating that both are yours.

Ask the bank for its own form first.

Many banks and insurers have a printed signature-difference or signature-updation form which the branch manager attests, and where that form exists it is what their back office wants to see. The affidavit becomes necessary when there is no such form, when the branch that opened the account no longer exists, when the claim is being made through a registrar or a company rather than a bank, or when the branch specifically asks for a notarised affidavit. One phone call decides it.

Two different documents — know which you are asking for

A signature difference affidavit reconciles an old signature with a new one. Two specimens, both sworn to be yours.
A specimen signature affidavit simply puts your current signature on record where an institution has none — common for a new account for a firm, a trust or a society office-bearer, or where an authority wants an authenticated specimen for future comparison. One specimen, no dispute.

Asking for the second when you need the first leaves the mismatch unaddressed, and the file comes back.

How it has to be drafted and executed

Both signatures appear in the body of the affidavit, in boxes, signed in the Notary's presence — not photocopied in from somewhere else. The affidavit identifies the account, policy, folio or document by number, states the period during which each version of the signature was in use, and says that both were made by the deponent and by nobody else. Where the deponent's name also appears differently on the same records, that goes in as well, or you will be back for a second document — see one and the same person affidavit.

The oath is administered under section 8(1)(e) of the Notaries Act, 1952 and the whole is valid only under the Notary's signature and official seal, section 8(2). Note carefully what that certifies: that you appeared and swore. It does not certify that the specimen is genuine. No notary is a handwriting expert, and none pretends to be.

What gets these rejected

Only one specimen shown, so there is nothing to compare.
The specimens signed at home and brought in. They must be made before the Notary.
A third variation appearing on the covering letter or the KYC form, so the file now has three signatures instead of two.
The account, policy or folio not identified by number.
An affidavit produced where the institution's own attested form was required.
A thumb impression case dressed up as a signature case. Where the deponent cannot sign, the correct document records the thumb impression, taken before the Notary, with the identification of the deponent stated.

If the signature is not yours, this is the wrong document entirely.

Where you believe somebody else has signed in your name, that is a forgery question, not a variation question, and swearing that both signatures are yours would be a false statement on oath that destroys your own case. Tell us what you actually suspect. The right step there is a complaint and a dispute with the institution, not an affidavit reconciling the two.

At the office or at yours

Because the specimens have to be signed in the Notary's presence, the deponent must attend. Where the deponent is elderly, hospitalised or immobile — which is a large share of signature-difference cases, since these problems surface at claim time — the Notary attends at the address instead. Travelling allowance is capped at ₹20 per kilometre under Rule 10(3) of the Notaries Rules, 1956, and the fee for administering the oath is capped at ₹35 under Rule 10(1).

What to bring

The passbook, policy bond, folio statement or document showing the old signature
Aadhaar and PAN card
The returned cheque, memo or letter from the bank or insurer, if you have it
The institution's own signature-change form, if they gave you one
Account, policy or folio numbers written down
For an elderly or ill deponent, the address and a contact number for a home visit

One and the Same Person Affidavit — two spellings, one personએક જ વ્યક્તિ હોવા બાબતનું સોગંદનામું

Lost Document Affidavit — for a duplicate, and what must go with itગુમ થયેલ દસ્તાવેજ અંગેનું સોગંદનામું

Lost Share Certificate Affidavit — for a duplicate from the company or RTA

Name Change Affidavit — the first step in changing your nameનામ ફેરફાર સોગંદનામું

Common questions

Can I change my signature permanently?

There is no register of signatures to change. What you do is put the new signature on record with every institution that holds the old one — bank, insurer, provident fund, depository, employer — using their form or this affidavit. Then use the new one consistently. Half-changing it across institutions creates exactly the problem you are trying to solve.

Does the notary confirm the signature is genuine?

No, and be wary of anyone who says otherwise. The Notary administers the oath, records that you appeared and were identified, and attests under signature and official seal. Handwriting comparison is an expert's job. What the affidavit gives the institution is your sworn statement, made under identification, that both specimens are yours.

My mother cannot come to the office. What then?

The Notary attends at her address. That is often the sensible course, because signature problems tend to surface at claim and maturity time when the deponent is elderly. The specimens are then signed in the Notary's presence at home, which is what the institution requires. Travelling allowance is capped at ₹20 per kilometre under the Notaries Rules.

Signature Difference Affidavit — when the bank says the signature does not match