The Passport

Questions #8 and #9 are, “What is your passport number?” and “Where was it issued?”

Most people regard a passport as the most reliable and secure identity document. However, this is far from the truth of the matter. For example, Citizenship and  Immigration Canada does not accept certain travel documents because they are easily forged or obtained through fraud.

On March 11, 2010, CIC amended the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to clarify the factors used to determine which travel documents can be used to apply for a visa, and to travel to or enter Canada.

Under the new Regulations, the following travel documents are considered unreliable and are not acceptable for entry into Canada:

• any passport claiming to have been issued by Somalia,
• non-machine readable passports issued by the Czech Republic,
• temporary passports issued by the Republic of South Africa, and
• provisional passports issued by Venezuela.

We have not found any way to link a passport number to the issuing country and the person named in it. Nor, have we found a reliable source of information about how to recognise a forged passport. This makes relying on such a document without expert knowledge and the resources of a government department unwise.

If the current passport was issued through an embassy outside the country of residence, then you may have reason to investigate further. Also, remember, it is easier to make yourself look like the person pictured in the passport than it is to forge the passport. If you have any doubt that the person in the passport is the person before you, then action must be taken.