IOUs have legal effect. The reason why IOUs have legal effect is that according to the relevant spirit of China's Civil Code, the following requirements need to be met:
1, which must be the content that can prove the fact of debt;
2. It must be the expression of true meaning;
3. IOUs must be legally obtained.
The contents of the IOU include the following:
1. Title: The title of the IOU generally consists of the language name, that is, the word "IOU" is written in large font at the top and middle of the text. Some people write the words "temporarily owed" or "today owed" as the title, but this title is written in the top box of the next line;
2. Text: The official text of the IOU should write down what, what and how much people or units owe, and indicate the repayment date;
3. Inscription: The name of the owed party and the personal signature of the agent shall be attached to the signature. If the debt is issued by an individual, the debtor's personal name should be attached. Meanwhile, the date of signing the debt. Units should build official seals and individuals should build private seals.
To sum up, not all IOUs are valid and not all are invalid. Mainly depends on whether the IOUs in your hand clearly indicate the names and wishes of both parties. Moreover, the most important thing is that the generation of IOUs must take place under the conditions of equality and voluntariness of both parties.
Legal basis:
Article 667 of the Civil Code of People's Republic of China (PRC)
A loan contract is a contract in which the borrower borrows money from the lender, repays the loan at maturity and pays interest.
Article 668
A loan contract shall be in written form, unless otherwise agreed between natural persons.
The contents of a loan contract generally include terms such as loan type, currency, purpose, amount, interest rate, term and repayment method.
Article 669
When concluding a loan contract, the borrower shall provide true information on the business activities and financial status related to the loan as required by the lender.
Article 670
The loan interest shall not be deducted from the principal in advance. If the interest is deducted from the principal in advance, the loan will be repaid according to the actual loan amount and the interest will be calculated.
Article 67 1
If the lender fails to provide the loan according to the agreed date and amount, thus causing losses to the borrower, it shall compensate for the losses.
If the borrower fails to collect the loan according to the agreed date and amount, it shall pay interest according to the agreed date and amount.
Article 672
Lenders may inspect and supervise the use of loans as agreed. The borrower shall regularly provide relevant financial and accounting statements or other materials to the lender as agreed.
Article 673
If the borrower fails to use the loan according to the agreed purpose, the lender may stop issuing the loan, recover the loan in advance or terminate the contract.