Why is “place of birth” important information on a passport? Which countries have dropped this information?

Tram Ho

Place of Birth (POB) is still considered one of the most important information in passports of countries today. Without this information, there are some countries that will refuse to accept passports or even refuse entry at the border. For example, recently, Germany has announced that it will stop issuing visas for new ordinary Vietnamese passports due to the lack of a place of birth information.

Why is Place of Birth Important in Passport?

There are two pieces of information that can never be changed to identify a person, Date of Birth and Place of Birth, no matter how many passports you have issued by different countries.

Tại sao “nơi sinh” lại là thông tin quan trọng trên hộ chiếu? Những nước nào đã bỏ thông tin này? - Ảnh 1.

Most countries today still include birthplace information in passports, but not all

A missing or empty place of birth is often considered a security threat because it is easier for individuals to conceal their identity if the home country authorities do not know the place of birth. The Birthplace information field, along with First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth, and biometric information (fingerprints, blood type, facial features, …) are included in the international database of suspects. and known terrorists.

Tại sao “nơi sinh” lại là thông tin quan trọng trên hộ chiếu? Những nước nào đã bỏ thông tin này? - Ảnh 2.

The US passport form is required to indicate the place of birth (Place of birth).

Tại sao “nơi sinh” lại là thông tin quan trọng trên hộ chiếu? Những nước nào đã bỏ thông tin này? - Ảnh 3.

The UK passport form also has a Place of Birth.

Tại sao “nơi sinh” lại là thông tin quan trọng trên hộ chiếu? Những nước nào đã bỏ thông tin này? - Ảnh 4.

China passport form including Place of birth

According to the announcement of the German Embassy on July 27, the German Interior Agency has temporarily not recognized the new passport form of Vietnam because the passport does not indicate the place of birth, so it is not possible to clearly identify the holder. , especially in many cases of the same surname. For authorities in Germany, it is not possible to find the place of birth through the identification number in the passport.

Is the place of birth required in the passport?

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) sets common standards for passports, and according to ICAO, the inclusion of a Place of Birth is optional. ICAO also stipulates that when choosing to include or omit the place of birth, the country or organization that issues the passport must consider all sensitive political information and activities of the passport holder.

In the United States,a proposalto remove birthplace information from passports was oncesubmitted to Congress over concerns that some foreign-born US citizens may be vulnerable to political harassment, discrimination, and discrimination. Racism or physical violence because of birthplace information.

In 1986, Canada was the first country in the world to allow its citizens the option of having their place of birth removed from their passports. The person who wants to remove this information must write a request and be accepted by the authorities. In fact, relatively few Canadian citizens fulfill this requirement.

Tại sao “nơi sinh” lại là thông tin quan trọng trên hộ chiếu? Những nước nào đã bỏ thông tin này? - Ảnh 5.

Canadian passports still have Place of Birth but citizens have the option to remove this section

Some countries don’t put Birthplace information in passports

Currently, in the world, there are a number of powerful passports that do not have a Place of Birth information field as in the new model passports of Vietnam, typically Korea and Japan. Birthplace information is not considered too important in the identification and management system of citizens in these two East Asian countries. Japan currently owns the most powerful passport in the world according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Tại sao “nơi sinh” lại là thông tin quan trọng trên hộ chiếu? Những nước nào đã bỏ thông tin này? - Ảnh 6.

Japanese passport form

Tại sao “nơi sinh” lại là thông tin quan trọng trên hộ chiếu? Những nước nào đã bỏ thông tin này? - Ảnh 7.

Korean passport form

Switzerland also does not indicate the place of birth in the passport, but only the Place of Origin information field. Saudi Arabia is also another country that no longer has this information on its passport.

Tại sao “nơi sinh” lại là thông tin quan trọng trên hộ chiếu? Những nước nào đã bỏ thông tin này? - Ảnh 8.

Swiss passport form

Tại sao “nơi sinh” lại là thông tin quan trọng trên hộ chiếu? Những nước nào đã bỏ thông tin này? - Ảnh 9.

Saudi Arabia passport form

Canada is also one of the countries where it is legal to omit or delete birthplace information in passportsandtravel documents, but the Government of Canada also warns that the lack of this information will cause many problems.

In 2016, the Norwegian government replaced the place of birth section with “place of birth unknown” in the passports of naturalized citizens from 31 Asian and African countries. This provision is intended to protect naturalized citizens from racial discrimination.

Source: Passportindex

Share the news now

Source : Genk