# Passport application question: are you an identical twin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 27, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403 "2006-04-27T02:22:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/1 "2006-04-27T02:22:18Z")
I’ve just been filling in the form to renew my passport. There was a question that I don’t remember seeing before on the passport application form: **Q: Are you an identical twin?** If you anwer “yes” would your passport be marked in some way? And what does a person who is an identical triplet, quadruplet etc answer for this question? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/2 "2006-04-27T02:32:01Z")
This is just a guess, but what the hey, here goes. Perhaps the State Department’s passport bureau keeps a database of passports issued and the same place and date of birth along with the same parents might tend to show that one person was seeking to have two passports under different names. Couple that with the photograph submitted that, of course, looks like one’s identical twin and it might just be easier on the bureau personnel to have a column to indicate identical twins. But that’s just my guess. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/3 "2006-04-27T02:36:48Z")
I’m an identical twin and I’ve had a passport and a renewal and I’ve never seen that question. Huh. There is a special box on (at least my) birth certificate for multiple births. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/4 "2006-04-27T14:23:53Z")
“If the answer to the above is Yes, are you the good twin or the evil twin?” ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/5 "2006-04-27T14:41:56Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > “If the answer to the above is Yes, are you the good twin or the evil twin?” Can’t they tell by your mustache? ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/6 "2006-04-27T14:45:39Z")
Seems like they must be preparing for the biometric data they promise will be coming on passports. Otherwise they would simply ask if you were a twin. They don’t care if you are a fraternal twin. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/7 "2006-04-27T16:15:13Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > And what does a person who is an identical triplet, quadruplet etc answer for this question? Wow, ignorance is fought! I thought only twins were identical but upon googling I have learned something today. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/8 "2006-04-27T18:41:34Z")
Perhaps it’s part of the lead up to Australia’s [national ID card](http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18944362-2,00.html?from=rss), “officially” slated for introduction in 2010. Papers, please, mate!! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/9 "2006-04-27T18:54:22Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > “If the answer to the above is Yes, are you the good twin or the evil twin?” The malicious cackle is usually a dead giveaway. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/10 "2006-04-27T19:31:35Z")
What if you were adopted? You might not know whether you were an identical twin. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/11 "2006-04-27T19:45:53Z")
Never one to shirk away from my SDMB research responsibilities, I just called my brother and asked him this question. He’s an identical twin, has never left the country before, but is getting married and about to go on his honeymoon abroad and had to get a US passport. He says there was no such question on his passport application form. Maybe it’s an Australian thing? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/12 "2006-04-27T19:52:52Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Wow, ignorance is fought! I thought only twins were identical but upon googling I have learned something today. No the Dionne quintuplets were identical. More precisely, three were identical and the other two were identical to each other, but mirror image twins to the other two, which means the twinning process for them took place a little later after chirality (handedness) was established. Regardless, they were one egg twins. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-application-question-are-you-an-identical-twin/354403/13 "2006-04-27T20:11:55Z")
> [@Hari Seldon](#): > > No the Dionne quintuplets were identical. More precisely, three were identical and the other two were identical to each other, but mirror image twins to the other two, which means the twinning process for them took place a little later after chirality (handedness) was established. Regardless, they were one egg twins. Wow! I thought they were just the first surviving quints, not that they were identical.