Is Black Ink Prohibited On Cheques Or Not? RBI Clarifies

In a post on social media platform X, PIB Fact Check denied claims of new RBI regulations saying, “It is being claimed in social media posts that RBI has issued new rules prohibiting the use of black ink on cheques. This claim is fake Reserve Bank of India has not prescribed specific ink colours to be used for writing cheques.”

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on January 17, 2025, clarified that it has not barred the use of black ink on cheques, in a social media post on X (formerly Twitter). The official notification released a statement soon after some social media posts spread the misinformation that RBI prohibited the use of black ink on cheques.

The official notification warned users to verify sources and official communication to avoid rumours.

What is a Cheque?

A cheque is a written document that can be submitted to a bank instructing it to pay the amount indicated in both words and numerical to a person, whose name is written on the cheque,

As per the official website of HDFC Bank website, “Cheques are also called negotiable instruments. In banking terms, a negotiable instrument is a document that promises its bearer a payment of the specified amount either on furnishing the document to the banker or by a given date.”

What are the things to be careful about while signing a cheque?

As per RBI FAQs on the Cheque Truncation System, “There are three images of each cheque that are taken in CTS – front Gray Scale, front Black and White and back Black and White. Customers should use image-friendly coloured ink to write cheques to facilitate a clear image of written information. Further, customers should use permanent ink to prevent fraudulent alternation of contents later."

"However, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has not prescribed specific ink colours to be used for writing cheques. Customers should also be aware that cheques with alteration/modification are not accepted under CTS. No changes/corrections can be made to the cheques (other than for date validation purposes, if required). For any change in the payee’s name, courtesy amount (amount in figures) or legal amount (amount in words), fresh cheque leaves should be used by customers. This would help banks in identifying and controlling fraudulent alterations," it further added.