# Passport with incorrect DOB



## virago (Dec 19, 2011)

I am preparing my partner immigration (Subclass 300) and we have a bit of dilemma. My partner's passport has the wrong DOB which won't lineup with her other documents. She is a domestic helper living in hong kong the last 7 years. She had some problems early on in life and moved to Singapore and 'changed' her DOB to allow her to travel.

As part of the application she has to get Police Checks in the locations she has lived for more 12 months or more. The problem is that her documents in Hong Kong will have a different DOB to her birth certificate and other documents which MAY create a problem but not sure.

An option is she gets a new passport with the right DOB but then the docs in HK won't be right.

Interested in some different thoughts on this matter.


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## aussiesteve (Mar 16, 2012)

virago said:


> I am preparing my partner immigration (Subclass 300) and we have a bit of dilemma. My partner's passport has the wrong DOB which won't lineup with her other documents. She is a domestic helper living in hong kong the last 7 years. She had some problems early on in life and moved to Singapore and 'changed' her DOB to allow her to travel.
> 
> As part of the application she has to get Police Checks in the locations she has lived for more 12 months or more. The problem is that her documents in Hong Kong will have a different DOB to her birth certificate and other documents which MAY create a problem but not sure.
> 
> ...


Hi Virgo
I am guessing your partner is from the Philippines, as this type of thing is quite common. My wife didn't discover that her original birth certificate had no first name, only the word "baby" , on it until she went to sponsor her nephew.
In all cases honesty is the best policy, tell the department upfront what you have said here, it is far better than attempting to spin a Web of deceit. 
Good luck.


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## virago (Dec 19, 2011)

aussiesteve said:


> Hi Virgo
> I am guessing your partner is from the Philippines, as this type of thing is quite common. My wife didn't discover that her original birth certificate had no first name, only the word "baby" , on it until she went to sponsor her nephew.
> In all cases honesty is the best policy, tell the department upfront what you have said here, it is far better than attempting to spin a Web of deceit.
> Good luck.


Actually she is from Indonesia but a similar 'risk' for lack of a better word for Immigration. The story is she had some complication with her employment agency. In the end they stole her money and passport but need to have a better understanding of what happened.

Thanks for the comment. I assume she had no problem in the future and getting a visa.


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## aussiesteve (Mar 16, 2012)

virago said:


> Actually she is from Indonesia but a similar 'risk' for lack of a better word for Immigration. The story is she had some complication with her employment agency. In the end they stole her money and passport but need to have a better understanding of what happened.
> 
> Thanks for the comment. I assume she had no problem in the future and getting a visa.


Ok Virago yes I have been to Indonesia as well and It is very similar.
Yeah it all worked out in the end a we were able to successfully sponsor her nephew.

Good luck.


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## virago (Dec 19, 2011)

aussiesteve said:


> Ok Virago yes I have been to Indonesia as well and It is very similar.
> Yeah it all worked out in the end a we were able to successfully sponsor her nephew.
> 
> Good luck.


Thanks mate. Appreciate it.


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## myahya (Nov 16, 2014)

*Same Situ*



virago said:


> I am preparing my partner immigration (Subclass 300) and we have a bit of dilemma. My partner's passport has the wrong DOB which won't lineup with her other documents. She is a domestic helper living in hong kong the last 7 years. She had some problems early on in life and moved to Singapore and 'changed' her DOB to allow her to travel.
> 
> As part of the application she has to get Police Checks in the locations she has lived for more 12 months or more. The problem is that her documents in Hong Kong will have a different DOB to her birth certificate and other documents which MAY create a problem but not sure.
> 
> ...


Hi Virago,

I'm wondering how you are going with this and what steps you have taken re DOB issue. I am in exactly the same situ re DOB change to work in Singapore, followed by HK for the past 4 years.

We are considering marriage in 6-12 months time, followed by Visa migration to Australia shortly after, but Birth Certificate and Passport DOB differs and I am sure this will create an issue. Passport issued via agency to enable Singapore move, and then renewed as that ever since.

Not sure how to proceed. Issue new Passport via Indonesia Immigration/Gov? Will that land her in trouble though? And what of travelling to and from Hong Kong on new passport when they have old passport in their records? Will they see that and reject her from entering Hong Kong again?

Rather confused as how to proceed with this


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## Melody (Nov 3, 2014)

myahya said:


> ...
> *DOB change to work in Singapore*, followed by HK for the past 4 years.
> ...


How can one do this ? How come you can get a different date of birth on your passport from your birth certificate ?


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## aussiesteve (Mar 16, 2012)

Melody said:


> How can one do this ? How come you can get a different date of birth on your passport from your birth certificate ?


Quite common in countries such as the Philippines where corruption is rife and centralized record keeping was unknown.
People adjust their birth dates up and down to make themselves eligible for work overseas.
Recent changes mean that DIBP now only accept documentation directly from the relevant authorities.
It is not only people who have tried to alter their documentation that have had problems, my wife discovered after living in Australia for 15 years that her original registration of birth had no first name included, boy did that cause some problems!


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## Melody (Nov 3, 2014)

aussiesteve said:


> Quite common in countries such as the Philippines where corruption is rife and centralized record keeping was unknown.
> People adjust their birth dates up and down to make themselves eligible for work overseas.
> Recent changes mean that DIBP now only accept documentation directly from the relevant authorities.
> It is not only people who have tried to alter their documentation that have had problems, my wife discovered after living in Australia for 15 years that her original registration of birth had no first name included, boy did that cause some problems!


Oh wow so does that mean this will affect the visa application? I mean clearly the applicant will have some explaining to do. Saying that you forged / alter your documents so you can work doesn't sound too good. Will that make them question your intentions and also create doubt on "what else could you be forging?"


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## aussiesteve (Mar 16, 2012)

Melody said:


> Oh wow so does that mean this will affect the visa application? I mean clearly the applicant will have some explaining to do. Saying that you forged / alter your documents so you can work doesn't sound too good. Will that make them question your intentions and also create doubt on "what else could you be forging?"


Your biggest problem will be trying to explain that your passport and your birth certificate belong to the same person, you!
My wife had to use baptism and academic records to prove that she was the same person as that listed on her birth certificate. 
How you explain that the date on your passport differs from that on your real birth certificate (which is what the NBI will send to the embassy) might be harder.


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## Mish (Jan 13, 2013)

You have an huge issue here. I would post in Ask Mark to find out what consequences there are but essentially I believe you should get it fixed otherwise you will be providing fraudulent documents to DIBP which I believe results in a 3 year ban and if found out after visa approved can result in a cancellation of visa.

I believe you will have to explain it at some point because you need to provide all previous passport details to DIBP.

Better to get the issue correct and explain it then not correct it and get a ban.


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## myahya (Nov 16, 2014)

*DOB Conflict*

So, then I assume the best way would be to correct the DOB on the birth certificate. Since there is no hospital record (born at home), this should presumably be easy enough to do so.

Many cases in Indonesia and Philippines to change DOB on Passport, as mentioned to allow legal age work overseas. It is all processed by agencies who charge between 7-12 months full salary to do so. And often done due to poor living standards/bad family situations in order to have some chance of a better life.


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## Mish (Jan 13, 2013)

You really need to post in Ask Mark or get professional advice on this as you don't want this to become an issue.

Just because it is done doesn't mean that it isn't fraud as you are altering documents. 

I would imagine an original birth certificate would still be kept on file or a record would be kept of what was altered on the certificate. 

Really you need professional advice on this as the last thing you need is a ban for providing fraudulent documents.


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## Maggie-May24 (Jul 24, 2011)

It sounds like the passport needs to be corrected, not the birth certificate. I agree with Mish that this could be a problem if you submit fraudulent documents for a visa application, so you should get them corrected.


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## myahya (Nov 16, 2014)

Maggie-May24 said:


> It sounds like the passport needs to be corrected, not the birth certificate. I agree with Mish that this could be a problem if you submit fraudulent documents for a visa application, so you should get them corrected.


My major concern with that then is that if passport is changed then it sets off a whole other chain of events, which would be travel/working issues to those countries which she has worked/lived in while on the old passport. Could she return to work in those countries again on a different (DOB) passport? If not, and if PMV was disapproved this would cause even greater problems for her since her family in Indonesia are fully dependent on her income coming from her current job.

Also, wouldn't it cause some sort of legal (fraud) issue in her own country? FYI, her DOB on her birth certificate is also incorrect. Her actual DOB is uncertain because she was born in the jungle to illiterate parents. Surely this should therefore rule out any fraudulent issues?

(FYI have also now posted in Ask Mark)


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## Mish (Jan 13, 2013)

Hope Mark can help you.

I understand the no real birthday but the issue you have is she already has a birth certificate with a birthday. If you are changing it (can you actually do that is another question) by years then questions would be raised of why she went to school years earlier when was not suppose yet etc.

I think there is potential fraud involved whichever country's side you look at it from.

Sounds very messy and getting the right advice is always the best move.

Good luck and keep us posted on your outcome for future applicants with the same issue.


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## myahya (Nov 16, 2014)

Well, not much to say now. I'll wait for Mark's reply. The only option I can see now is for me to move to Indonesia if this all goes wrong.


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## aussiesteve (Mar 16, 2012)

myahya said:


> Well, not much to say now. I'll wait for Mark's reply. The only option I can see now is for me to move to Indonesia if this all goes wrong.


I was going to suggest that in the first place , as then you can get a passport that matches your birth certificate, however you will still have to declare that you have travelled to other countries, but that might not be such a big issue.
Anyway I think talking to Mark is the best course, we are only guessing.


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## myahya (Nov 16, 2014)

aussiesteve said:


> I was going to suggest that in the first place , as then you can get a passport that matches your birth certificate, however you will still have to declare that you have traveled to other countries, but that might not be such a big issue.
> Anyway I think talking to Mark is the best course, we are only guessing.


I am an Australian resident, it is my Indonesian girlfriend with the DOB issue. Either way, will wait on Mark. The problem with me moving to Indonesia is finding a job. I can't imagine that it would be easy or that it would pay much. I'm struggling as it is in Hong Kong, the best job opportunities for me are in Australia.


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## Lahore (Oct 10, 2014)

What about her educational and identity documents? Which DOB does she have on those documents? If it is same as the one on birth certificate, she should get it corrected on her passport before applying for any kind of visa. If it is not, this could be a very complex thing.


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## myahya (Nov 16, 2014)

Lahore said:


> What about her educational and identity documents? Which DOB does she have on those documents? If it is same as the one on birth certificate, she should get it corrected on her passport before applying for any kind of visa. If it is not, this could be a very complex thing.


Well just found out that her passport cannot be changed. All other docs have DOB as per Birth Certificate. Perhaps Australia is a no go then other than for holiday purposes... I'm not sure how this could be explained to AU Immigration.


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## Maggie-May24 (Jul 24, 2011)

How is it that the passport can't be corrected? Surely if she provides her birth certificate and says the details on the passport are incorrect they'd fix it? I realise not every country operates the same way, but it seems logical they'd fix incorrect information.


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## Mish (Jan 13, 2013)

Maggie-May24 said:


> How is it that the passport can't be corrected? Surely if she provides her birth certificate and says the details on the passport are incorrect they'd fix it? I realise not every country operates the same way, but it seems logical they'd fix incorrect information.


The problem is the OP has is they changed the age so she can work in HK and Singapore. If they change the passport then won't be able to work in HK which is an issue because she supports her family. The OP is in one different situation.

OP - Are you able to support her? This will then allow her to change her passport and wait out the visa in Indonesia while you support her family. You may still have to talk about the different dob on passports (or maybe not) it would depend if DIBP pick up on it.

I also have this vague memory that my husband also provided his birth certificate when he applied for subclass 600 tourist visa.


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