In many countries, the official seal is an important means of authenticating documents. However, in the Philippines, the situation may be different.
Today, we're going to talk about the use of official seals in the Philippines to help you understand the legal effect of signatures and seals in the Philippines.
What is the official Seal?
An official seal is a marking instrument that is commonly used to stamp documents to indicate recognition, authorisation or authentication.
In many countries, documents bearing an official seal have legal force and represent formality and authority. However, the use and regulation of the official seal varies from country to country. While countries such as China, Japan and Korea have very strict official seal regimes, the situation is different in the Philippines.
Philippine views on the official Seal
The Philippine legal system is heavily influenced by the United States, which has led them to rely more on signatures and other means than official seals for document authentication.
Many companies and government agencies do not even have official seals and rely mainly on signatures and document numbers and other means to verify the validity of documents.
How do you ensure the authenticity of documents?
Although the Philippines does not rely much on official seals, this does not mean that the authenticity of documents is not guaranteed.
Here are some common methods used in the Philippines to ensure the authenticity of documents:
- Digital signatures: Digital signature software is used to generate electronic signatures for documents, ensuring their origin and integrity.
- Notarisation: Verification of the authenticity of the document and the identity of the signatory through notarisation by a notary public.
- Official letterheads and seals: Some organisations and companies may use paper with official letterheads and seals to add credibility to the document.
Signature over seal
In the Philippines, rather than focusing on the presence of an official seal on a contract, it is better to look for complete signatures and complete document numbering.
These are key indicators of the validity of documents in the Philippines.
Of course, the best practice to ensure the legality and security of documents is to consult a professional lawyer or legal advisor.
Precautions to be taken when signing documents
To ensure that your contract is risk-free, be sure to keep the following points in mind when signing documents in the Philippines:
Verify signatory information: make sure that all relevant parties' names, addresses, contact details and other information on the document are accurate.
Check the identity of the signatory: Ask to see the signatory's ID card or other valid documents to confirm their identity.
Clarify company information: If the document is a company document, specify the company name, address, the signer's position in the company, and the signer's name.
In addition, it is important to read the content of the document carefully before signing it to ensure that you understand all the terms and details. If the document is obscure, don't hesitate to seek the help of a professional legal advisor.
Caution is key, especially in unfamiliar legal environments.
remind you
When dealing with contracts and documents in the Philippines, there are still various ways to ensure the authenticity and validity of the documents even without an official seal.
But be careful:
If a document has only a seal but no signature.
There may be serious risks.
In this case, the legitimacy and authority of the document is greatly diminished, as signatures are more critical than official seals in the Philippines.
We hope this article has helped you to stay alert and avoid potential risks when signing documents in the Philippines.
If you have any questions, we recommend that you contact us immediately for a consultation to ensure that your rights are fully protected.