New Passport Questionnaire Baffles Many With Absurd Info Demands

[tfcrew]

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Who was present when you were born? Can you remember every address you’ve ever had? How about every place you’ve ever worked? Were you circumcised?

What if I told you that those were some of the queries the State Department is proposing for a new “biographical questionnaire” as part of the passport application?

From what I gather, this form is five pages long and the suggested time to fill it out is 45 minutes.
Looks more like a 2 week task to me and some info you might never be able to obtain.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/were-you-circumcised-new-passport-questionnaire-baffles-many-with-absurd-info-demands/

Also....

http://blogs.chron.com/newswatch/2011/04/proposed_new_passport_form_wan.html

[SMS60]

A BIG UHMMMMM?

I guess they are floating it out to see what kind of push back it will get.

What are they trying to accomplish with this? Any opinions?

Easy to come into the country but impossible to leave. Where have we seen this?

[SMS60]

Can you imagine a woman from rural Russia who immigrated on a K-1 and received citizenship trying to fill that out for her first US passport?

OMG!!

[GQBlues]

The article noted:

"...According to BoingBoing, the form is meant for those who, while applying for a passport, can’t produce a birth certificate. “But as the FA suggests,” the site notes, “the circumstances in which people unable to provide a birth certificate will be given this form (rather than the traditional bureaucratic investigation) are not spelled out; further, the form itself remains a Kafkaesque impossibility for most people to complete.”..."

Which would explain today's headlines....   

[viking]

You gotta love this stuff. Really !. Were you circumcised?????????? Forget pat downs at the airport. Next thing you know us guys will have to drop our pants to see if we have anything left on the tips of our.... Maybe we should just have our our social security numbers tattooed on them when we are born.

[HiTech]

I do not see any problem at all with that form, as it states it is intended for people who can not prove they are citizens.  Each question is meant to be able to do research of records that would show the likely  hood of you birth in the USA. Did your mother have prenatal care? If so there should be hospital records surrounding your birth. I see the same thread in all the question just looking for another way to show where you were born.

HiTech

[SMS60]

I have my long form birth certificate. Thats all they need.

[acctBill]

I do not see any problem at all with that form, as it states it is intended for people who can not prove they are citizens.  Each question is meant to be able to do research of records that would show the likely  hood of you birth in the USA. Did your mother have prenatal care? If so there should be hospital records surrounding your birth. I see the same thread in all the question just looking for another way to show where you were born.

HiTech

Information on the form isn't much help to the US government if the applicant was foreign born in countries such as China or Russia and naturalized later in life, say 30 years after birth.  Homeland security isn't going to be faxing the Chinese or Russian governments and asking them to verify the information.

As for where my parents lived before and after my birth, I only have a general idea, the district within the city I was born.  Where did my mother work before and after my birth?  Haven't a clue.  Did she receive pre or post natal care?  Not a clue.  Persons present or in attendance at my birth? I'm almost certain my mother was there and probably my father any one else I don't know.  Glad I don't have to try and prove my identity for a US passport.        

[HiTech]

Obviously a birth certificate would not be needed if you have a naturalized citizen document, and hence no need for the posted form.

The fact is, you have to prove citizenship for a passport. How do you spouse someone does that with out either a birth certificate or naturalization doc?

HiTech

[acctBill]

Obviously a birth certificate would not be needed if you have a naturalized citizen document, and hence no need for the posted form.

The fact is, you have to prove citizenship for a passport. How do you spouse someone does that with out either a birth certificate or naturalization doc?

HiTech

If someone is a naturalized US citizen who has lost all their proof of identity can't they just use the fingerprints on file with the US government from the naturalization process administered by the US government to get a new US passport?  If your fingerprints matched the fingerprints on file of a naturalized US citizen named "John Smith" wouldn't that mean that you are "John Smith"?  Why the need for all the paperwork?  How long has the US government been fingerprinting naturalized citizens?

[Faux Pas]

If someone is a naturalized US citizen who has lost all their proof of identity can't they just use the fingerprints on file with the US government from the naturalization process administered by the US government to get a new US passport?  If your fingerprints matched the fingerprints on file of a naturalized US citizen named "John Smith" wouldn't that mean that you are "John Smith"?  Why the need for all the paperwork?  How long has the US government been fingerprinting naturalized citizens?

Fingerprinting without an arrest for a crime is still quite new. The first time I was "asked" if I wanted to be fingerprinted ever was just last week while renewing my driver's license. My first response was "why would I want to do a thing like that?" The lady told me it was now an option and not mandatory. I declined on principle 

[BC]

Fingerprinting without an arrest for a crime is still quite new.

When joining the military it's pretty standard for security clearance paperwork.

[aikorob]

Actually the fingerprint issue came up the other day--one of my wife's friends in North AL lost everything to a tornado--purse, all documents, green card... she is trying to figure out how to get replacement copies; matching fingerprints was the best idea anyone could offer her.

[viking]

I can only speak about New York, but we have a program here called " Child Safe". The child is photographed, fingerprinted, and a piece of hair ( DNA) is attached to this information. Should the child become missing and an Amber Alert issued, the police will have concrete evidence of the childs identity. Thousands and thousands of parents have enrolled in this program.

Fingerprints are required if you enter into any type of financial services industry, or even to get a license to drive a taxi. What's the big deal?

[Faux Pas]

I can only speak about New York, but we have a program here called " Child Safe". The child is photographed, fingerprinted, and a piece of hair ( DNA) is attached to this information. Should the child become missing and an Amber Alert issued, the police will have concrete evidence of the childs identity. Thousands and thousands of parents have enrolled in this program.

Fingerprints are required if you enter into any type of financial services industry, or even to get a license to drive a taxi. What's the big deal?

No big deal. I wasn't expecting the question when she asked it. My first thoughts were "WTF?" and "I'm no criminal, why would I give them more to identify and track me with". As I said, those were my first thoughts and so I declined. Thinking about it later I deduced I would have probably been better off doing the fingerprints, just in case. I'm relatively sure "they" meaning Big Brother and authority already have ample chit in which to identify me with so it really wouldn't make much difference.