Omission place of birth on passport?

[hughmirin]

Hey guys I'm really confused and unsure what to do here. I was born in Iraq but recently became Canadian. I will be obtaining my Canadian passport soon and was wondering if I should omit my place of birth or not.

My reason for omitting is probably because many countries have my birthplace as a high risk profile country and that might put me into interrogations with border officers, slow me down or even outright not let me in, not sure etc.

What would you do in my situation?

Thanks!

 

[Canadiandesi2006]

Hey guys I'm really confused and unsure what to do here. I was born in Iraq but recently became Canadian. I will be obtaining my Canadian passport soon and was wondering if I should omit my place of birth or not.

My reason for omitting is probably because many countries have my birthplace as a high risk profile country and that might put me into interrogations with border officers, slow me down or even outright not let me in, not sure etc.

What would you do in my situation?

Thanks!

I'm afraid you are required to furnish "Country of Birth" in your passport. Every country's passport has the important piece of information.

Without that your passport application is incomplete and may not be accepted. If you mentioned something wrong, you might be liable for misleading information.

I know you situation well, but been truthful is the best approach.

 

[MiriamT]

I'm afraid you are required to furnish "Country of Birth" in your passport. Every country's passport has the important piece of information.

Without that your passport application is incomplete and may not be accepted. If you mentioned something wrong, you might be liable for misleading information.

I know you situation well, but been truthful is the best approach.

OP can omit this information in the Canadian passport, but border officials in other countries will probably scrutinize OP's trips for the omission. I personally wouldn't omit this info, but it's up to OP to make the call.

 

[MiriamT]

Omission of place of birth: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/passport/apply/omit-place-birth.asp

 

[dpenabill]

Hey guys I'm really confused and unsure what to do here. I was born in Iraq but recently became Canadian. I will be obtaining my Canadian passport soon and was wondering if I should omit my place of birth or not.

My reason for omitting is probably because many countries have my birthplace as a high risk profile country and that might put me into interrogations with border officers, slow me down or even outright not let me in, not sure etc.

What would you do in my situation?

Thanks!

Fully agree with post by MiriamT.

Place of birth not required but its absence is as likely to draw attention and elevated scrutiny.



Note: Statement by Canadiandesi2006 is one more unfounded, erroneous statement in a continuing stream of misinformation:

I'm afraid you are required to furnish "Country of Birth" in your passport. Every country's passport has the important piece of information.

 

[scylla]

Hey guys I'm really confused and unsure what to do here. I was born in Iraq but recently became Canadian. I will be obtaining my Canadian passport soon and was wondering if I should omit my place of birth or not.

My reason for omitting is probably because many countries have my birthplace as a high risk profile country and that might put me into interrogations with border officers, slow me down or even outright not let me in, not sure etc.

What would you do in my situation?

Thanks!

There was a thread a few months ago discussing this. It's a bad idea to omit. All it does is create even more scrutiny at border crossings. I have a friend who was also born in Iraq and omitted his place of birth for the very reasons you are listing. After a year, he paid to get a brand new passport made with his place of birth listed because he was running into so many issues at border crossings and getting pulled into secondary.

 

[mamad604]

Hey guys I'm really confused and unsure what to do here. I was born in Iraq but recently became Canadian. I will be obtaining my Canadian passport soon and was wondering if I should omit my place of birth or not.

My reason for omitting is probably because many countries have my birthplace as a high risk profile country and that might put me into interrogations with border officers, slow me down or even outright not let me in, not sure etc.

What would you do in my situation?

Thanks!

Omitting you birth place will make it hard for you to travel. Countries like UK,Australia and some EU countries will refuse to let you into their country if there is no birth place in the passport. I also heard that the US started to do that too.

So your options are:

1- Without birth place: will be refused entry into some countries.
2- With birth place: might have some difficulty travelling and might not.

 

[hughmirin]

There was a thread a few months ago discussing this. It's a bad idea to omit. All it does is create even more scrutiny at border crossings. I have a friend who was also born in Iraq and omitted his place of birth for the very reasons you are listing. After a year, he paid to get a brand new passport made with his place of birth listed because he was running into so many issues at border crossings and getting pulled into secondary.

Thanks for your reply, do you mind listing any sources or the past thread?

I'm probably going for omission, its non of their business and if they ask my birth place I'll answer.

 

[screech339]

Thanks for your reply, do you mind listing any sources or the past thread?

I'm probably going for omission, its non of their business and if they ask my birth place I'll answer.

It is not so much that it is "none of their business" but they can decide to let you in or not, if they are not satisfied with the information provided. It is their job to know everything possible about the person they are letting in. And having an birth place omission goes against their policy of knowing everything about you. And you don't mind the hassle of secondary inspection every time you enter another country.

 

[dpenabill]

I'm probably going for omission, its non of their business and if they ask my birth place I'll answer.

Not sure who you are referring to when you say it is none of their business, but of course it is specifically the business of officers screening travelers seeking entry into a country. Part of their job. What the law prescribes.

Even citizens of the country into which a traveler is seeking entry can be subject to a very broad and intrusive range of inquiry. This may not be true for every country, but most nations give their border officers very broad discretion to investigate travelers seeking entry.

If you are only using a Canadian passport for identification and proof of status within Canada, the country of birth is irrelevant and omitting it should have no impact.

Outside Canada, each individual country can impose its own rules about the information a traveler must provide in order for the traveler to be allowed entry; for such purposes, official documentation can typically be demanded, something significantly more official or formal than the declaration of the traveler.

 

[links18]

Ha, sometimes a valid Canadian passport is not considered acceptable proof of Canadian citizenship even in Canada. For example, you cannot use a Canadian passport as proof of citizenship when applying for an enhanced driver's license in some provinces--Canadian citizenship certificate or birth certificate only. Go figure. :-\

 

[Canadiandesi2006]

Thanks for your reply, do you mind listing any sources or the past thread?

I'm probably going for omission, its non of their business and if they ask my birth place I'll answer.

I understand your frustration but its basic requirement of every country's passport.

Unfortunately, even the head of states requires passports to travel. They too can't tell the host country officials "None of their business".

May be over 200 years back, passports were NOT required but now every country requires such document when we travel. ;D

Please dont tell this to traffic cops or immigration agents in the western World. Its risky for your freedom & in the Middle East for own existence..... ;D Take it easy, my friend.

 

[cedarjet]

quote author=hughmirin link=topic=396162.msg4948809#msg4948809 date=1454361854]
Thanks for your reply, do you mind listing any sources or the past thread?

I'm probably going for omission, its non of their business and if they ask my birth place I'll answer.
[/quote]

You are just going to complicate your life and you will regret it. You are a Canadian now and even if you are born in Iraq, the amount of interrogation you might get will be far less if you have the Place Of Birth written on your passport. If you don't, they will question you more, and they will look at the way you look (its easy to identify an arab) and they will give u a headache. Also they might get an idea from your name. and yes it is their business, and they will not take ur word for it ( u are crossing a boarder, not shopping at a supermarket ).

 

[scylla]

Thanks for your reply, do you mind listing any sources or the past thread?

I'm probably going for omission, its non of their business and if they ask my birth place I'll answer.

That older thread is somewhere in this section of the forum (Citizenship). I don't know exactly where. Run a search and you should be able to find it.

As for sources, my good friend is the source - I have no link to provide. He had absolutely horrible experiences at the border (various countries all over the world) with no place of birth listed. Like I told you, after a year he paid to get a new Canadian passport made specifically so that he could add his place of birth.

But it's obviously your life and your choice.