# What is meant by place of birth on a passport **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297 "2011-03-28T19:21:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/41 "2011-04-01T13:59:24Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > My youngest **sister** is the only one of us born in Vancouver, Washington, and she cheated by squirting out so fast **he** was born on my mom’s bedroom floor. _added emphasis, mine_. Gender identity issues? ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/42 "2011-04-01T15:28:44Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Gender identity issues? Possible. But I think a typo (like missing the “s”) is just a bit more likely… ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/43 "2011-04-01T18:16:02Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > That happens with British Passports too. Mine says “FCO” (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) instead of the usual issuing city. Interesting. My old passport (issued as a replacement in 1998) has > [@](#): > > BRITISH EMBASSY > WASHINGTON DC (Incidentally, I’ve never been to Washington DC! 🆒) ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/44 "2011-04-01T18:43:56Z")
My passport says it was issued in Washington DC, too – and it was, because I went to the embassy there to give them the form to renew it. Ohio is supposed to be handled by the Australian consulate in New York, but I go to DC much more often than I go to NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Krislee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c67d28/32.png) [@Krislee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krislee)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/45 "2013-10-03T04:57:39Z")
I was also born on an American Air Force Base in a European country. Point of clarification: a person born of American parents while in a different country is considered an “American Citizen Born Abroad” not a native or natural born American. You are only a native born American if you are born in America. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/46 "2013-10-03T05:54:15Z")
> [@Krislee](#): > > I was also born on an American Air Force Base in a European country. Point of clarification: a person born of American parents while in a different country is considered an “American Citizen Born Abroad” not a native or natural born American. You are only a native born American if you are born in America. Please tell that to John McCain. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/47 "2013-10-03T09:11:25Z")
> [@Krislee](#): > > a person born of American parents while in a different country is considered an “American Citizen Born Abroad” not a native or natural born American. You are only a native born American if you are born in America. The Congressional Research Service says you are mistaken. From [this PDF](http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42097.pdf): > [@](#): > > The weight of legal and historical authority indicates that the term “natural born” citizen would mean a person who is entitled to U.S. citizenship “by birth” or “at birth,” either by being born “in” the United States and under its jurisdiction, even those born to alien parents; by being born abroad to U.S. citizen-parents; or by being born in other situations meeting legal requirements for U.S. citizenship “at birth.” ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/48 "2013-10-03T10:22:23Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > I hope the OP comes back some day to explain why the heck he entertained the possibility that “place of birth” might actually mean “place where raised”. :dubious: still waiting… ☹ I apologize for the hijack, but I’ve seen this sort of behavior very often on SD. Someone will raise a question, and the consensus is either that (as in this case) the answer is obvious and we’re wondering why it wasn’t obvious to the OP, or (more frequently) we don’t really understand the question and we hope the OP will clarify it. But we never hear from the OP again. Does this count as “trolling”? The OP sure sounded sincere to me. Maybe he’s satisfied with the answer he got, and isn’t going to bother to thank us. I’m not so vain that I need the thanks; I’d just be happy to know that we didn’t waste our time, and he actually read our responses and hasn’t vanished off the face of the earth. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/49 "2013-10-03T11:59:30Z")
So, Keeve, you’ve been tapping your foot for 2 1/2 years, patiently waiting. . .? ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/50 "2013-10-03T12:19:39Z")
A friend of mine once told the story of trying to cross into the USA with his elderly grandmother, many years ago when a birth certificate (or license) was sufficient to get into the USA from Canada. The border guard objected - “It says here she was born n Fort Qu’Appelle, North West Territories. Fort Qu’Appelle is in Saskatchewan.” “Not before 1905 it wasn’t.” – My newest British passport was issued by the Washington embassy even though I’m in Canada. They’ve reduced the number of places that make passports now that they contain so much high tech security features. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/51 "2013-10-03T12:21:16Z")
naaahhh… I had forgotten all about this thread. But on the other hand, I do not read every single thread, and this is one that caught my attention both then and now, and that is significant in my opinion. My main point was not to focus on the last two years, but rather on the first two days, when the thread was still active yet the OP was silent. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/52 "2013-10-03T13:24:52Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > You should put the city that is in the county that your birth certificate is recorded. Seconded. Legally, you’re considered to have been born where your birth certificate says you were born, not the exact spot where you were actually born. So if you were born in a farmhouse 5 miles from the nearest dirt road, but your birth certificate says a city 30 miles away, then that city is your legal birthplace, and that’s what the passport people want to see. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/53 "2013-10-03T13:42:18Z")
I was born in one county (Berkshire), which was different than the county where we lived (Hampshire), and which was different again from the county in our postal address (Surrey). There must be a fairly limited number of towns of birth in the UK. A quick Googling suggests there are only 220 maternity units in the country, and a quarter of those deliver less than 2500 babies a year. I’m not too sure where home births would be registered as occurring - whether any tiny village could be named or whether it would get assigned to the nearest sizeable town. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/54 "2013-10-03T20:17:23Z")
What would Jesus do? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/55 "2013-10-03T20:21:04Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > What would Jesus do? Like any good American, Jesus wouldn’t ever need a passport. He’d spend His vacations seeing America, instead. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/56 "2013-10-04T00:50:28Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Seconded. Legally, you’re considered to have been born where your birth certificate says you were born, not the exact spot where you were actually born. > > So if you were born in a farmhouse 5 miles from the nearest dirt road, but your birth certificate says a city 30 miles away, then that city is your legal birthplace, and that’s what the passport people want to see. But my birth certificate says I was born at the address Box 131 route 4 Watsonville Calif. The ranch is in Monterey County and my birth certificate is recorded in Salinas the county seat, but Watsonville is in Santa Cruz county. So if I put on any forms the address with Watsonville that will lead to a county that has no record of my birth. I know because years ago my parents were queationed about an error on school form. They could not verify my age. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/57 "2013-10-04T15:20:18Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Like any good American, Jesus wouldn’t ever need a passport. He’d spend His vacations seeing America, instead. However, it’s uncertain if Jesus would be able to get in anyway - he’s a non-citizen and has a criminal record. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/58 "2013-10-04T15:27:23Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > However, it’s uncertain if Jesus would be able to get in anyway - he’s a non-citizen and has a criminal record. Without a passport or drivers license his travel options would be pretty limited. Take the bus everywhere, or does that need ID too? IIRC, Amtrak does. \*Papers, please. Raus, schnell, schnell. \* ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/59 "2013-10-06T01:52:45Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Does this count as “trolling”? The OP sure sounded sincere to me. Maybe he’s satisfied with the answer he got, and isn’t going to bother to thank us. I’m not so vain that I need the thanks; I’d just be happy to know that we didn’t waste our time, and he actually read our responses and hasn’t vanished off the face of the earth. Why would it be trolling? He asked a question, got the answer, and probably didn’t bother reading the rest of the thread. What about that comes across as an attempt to anger people for the OP’s own amusement? Plus, the original question can easily be read, not as a question, but a comment of incredulity. Like, “how in the world did you not know that?” rather than “I’m idly curious why you thought it might mean something else.” Hence the OP might not realize it needed an actual answer. And after being accused of possibly being a troll, the OP still might not be inclined to answer. That action is so negative that it’s actually against the rules. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297/60 "2013-10-06T03:42:12Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Does this count as “trolling”? The OP sure sounded sincere to me. Maybe he’s satisfied with the answer he got, and isn’t going to bother to thank us. I’m not so vain that I need the thanks; I’d just be happy to know that we didn’t waste our time, and he actually read our responses and hasn’t vanished off the face of the earth. **Moderator Note** **Keeve** , accusations of trolling are not permitted outside the Pit. No warning issued, but don’t do this again. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-meant-by-place-of-birth-on-a-passport/576297.md?page=4)