Confusion has recently spread across social media regarding the proper pen color for signing cheques and writing financial instruments in India. Viral posts claim that as of January 2025, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) requires cheques to be signed with blue or green ink only, warning that the use of black ink could prevent payments from being processed or cause cheques to be rejected. However, government agencies and banking experts have clarified that these claims are entirely false and no such directive has been issued.
What Does RBI Actually Say?
The RBI itself has no official rule restricting the ink color for cheque signatures. According to their FAQs and official correspondence:
- No specific ink color is mandated for writing or signing cheques. Black, blue, or green ink are all legally valid.
- Customers should avoid using multiple ink colors on one cheque, as this can cause confusion and make the cheque invalid.
- Permanent, image-friendly ink is recommended to help banks scan and verify cheques easily, but the color is not prescribed by RBI.
Government Fact Check
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) issued an official fact-check statement on social media, confirming that the viral claim about RBI banning black ink on cheques is fake. It said: “Reserve Bank of India has not prescribed specific ink colors to be used for writing cheques.” Hence, any such rumors circulating online should not be trusted.
Banking Best Practices
While banks recommend avoiding red ink, pencil, or erasable pens (for security reasons), and advise using only one color while filling out cheques, there is no hard rule about ink color. Cheques can be written in black, blue, or green ink without risk of rejection. Cheques may be rejected, however, if there are alterations or overwriting not properly authenticated per RBI’s Cheque Truncation System (CTS) rules.
The Bottom Line
If you are signing or writing a cheque, use any standard black, blue, or green pen. There is no RBI requirement for ink color, and you will not lose your money or face processing issues due to pen color alone. Always confirm financial guidelines from official RBI sources, and ignore viral misinformation.