After an old friend learned that he had bought an insurance policy for his son, he reminded him that the policy must be signed by the insured to be effective. Without his son’s signature, it would be an invalid policy. But the insurance company's telephone consultant told him not to worry - not all insurance policies require the insured's signature. Uncle Zhang is a little confused. Who is right?

The answer to the previous question is very clear. The insurance policy must be signed by the policy holder himself. However, if the policy holder is a person without or with limited capacity for civil conduct, the policy can be signed by his or her guardian. However, no other person is allowed to sign on your behalf. If the policyholder is unable to sign on his own due to physical reasons such as disability, he or she can have his or her designated salesperson sign on his or her behalf through legal procedures.

The latter issue is slightly more complicated and can be analyzed according to the following three situations: First, the policy holder and the insured are the same person. There is no problem. The policy must be signed by the policy holder, which means that the insured has signed it. Second, the policy holder and the insured are two people, and the policy does not include death liability. In this case, it is enough to have the signature of the policy holder instead of the insured's personal signature. Third, the policyholder and the insured are two persons, and the policy contains death benefit liability. In this case, the policy without the insured's written consent and recognition of the insured amount is invalid.

The "Insurance Law" stipulates that if a contract requires death as a condition for payment of insurance benefits, the contract will be invalid without the insured's written consent and recognition of the insurance amount. Insurance policies issued in accordance with a contract that requires death as a condition for payment of insurance benefits may not be transferred or pledged without the written consent of the insured. However, life insurance purchased by parents for their minor children is not subject to this regulation. It is worth mentioning that the insured’s written consent to be the insured and recognition of the insurance amount is not the same concept as signing the insurance policy. The policyholder who signs the policy is not only responsible for the authenticity of the contents of the policy, but also has the obligation to pay the insurance premium.

Understanding the above principles, in Mr. Zhang’s situation, we only need to find out whether his policy has death benefit liability. If so, his eldest son (the insured) must personally sign the insurance policy. If not, no signature is required.

Extended reading: How to buy insurance, which one is better, and step-by-step instructions to avoid these "pitfalls" of insurance