The Government of Canada has changed its procedure with respect to how an applicant for a passport can prove their date of birth. The new rules require only one method be used, which is a birth certificate, as acceptable proof of date of birth for any individual applying for a new passport. This change is meant to ensure standardization in terms of how documentation is provided for the purpose of reducing inconsistencies regarding age when issuing passports.
Who Will Be Affected?
The policy applies only to applicants requesting new passports who were born on or after October 1, 2023. For these applicants, a birth certificate, issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths, municipal jurisdiction or another authorized source, will be the only acceptable proof of age. No other form of identifying an applicant’s age will be allowed for this category.
Applicants who were born prior to October 1, 2023 will still be able to provide alternative forms of identification to determine their date of birth.
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What Other Types of Documentation Will Be Allowed For Older Applicants?
For applicants who were born before the October 1, 2023 cutoff, the following documentation will still be acceptable to establish proof of birth:
- School leaving certificate or matriculation certificate
- PAN card
- Aadhaar card
- Driving licence
- Election photo identity card
The given alternatives are providing older applicants the flexibility to obtain a birth certificate if they do not have one readily available.
Why This Rule Was Changed?
It is intended that this change will allow all people using the same age verification systems and have the same level of reliability for an individual’s date of birth. Birth certificates are the most reliable evidence an individual’s date of birth, and they are generated shortly after an individual’s birth and recorded in official government records.
This change should also decrease the instances of inconsistent/fraudulent age documentation, which will, in turn, decrease the number of passport applications that become delayed due to the issue of age verification.
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Effect on Passport Applications
Many passport experts believe this new rule will allow parents to register their children’s births in a timely manner, and obtain formal birth certificates for each child; and, it will make the verification process easier for passport officials, therefore decreasing the time to process passport applications going forward.
Public awareness campaigns informing citizens of this change may be necessary so that applicants will be prepared with the required documentation at the time they apply for a passport.
Conclusion
The new rule signifies a trend toward stricter documentation requirements and more uniformity of documentation for passports. Although older applicants still have options on how they could establish their date of birth for obtaining a passport, all future applicants will be limited to using only a birth certificate to establish their birth date after October 1, 2023.
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