Troubles with Birth Certificate

[Squid]

My fiance has a passport which has a different birth date than her birth certificate. Long story how that has happened but she has had her passport for > 8 years to which it was used in the US as a student (F-1 visa.) What can be done?

 

In dialogue with her concerning the birth certificate, she is under the impression that she will have to bribe chinese officials as well as wait a long period of time to get the passport corrected. Has anyone had experience with this? We are trying to get this corrected before we need both documents for the P4.

 

Thankyou!

[jkobman]

Sarah obtained all of her documents through the Notary in her city - Nanjing. What she will have to do to correct her inconsistent DOB is hard to say. All I know was the documents were costly - even by US stds. But, they were fairly prompt in preparing/issuing the documents.

[frank1538]

This could be a real problem. Which date is the correct date? Is it possible that both dates are correct but one is based on a different calendar (lunar v. solar) or based on the differences in how some Chinese determine birth dates.

 

Just curious how the passport ended up with a different birth date. If it turns out that both dates are correct but measured differently, my gut tells me that it might be easier to get the notarial birth certificate conformed with language that references both dates. Also, my sense is that it might be easier to deal with the notarial office, both in terms of time and money, than with the passport office.

 

Jingwen's daughter had a similar problem with her birth certificate. The English translation of her name did not match her passport. It turned out that the notarial office was translating based on the local pronunciation of the Chinese name rather than using true pinyan. Believe me, it was a lot easier to get the notarial office to re-issue the birth certificate than to try to get her a new passport.

[Squid]

jkobman: Are you talking about getting a sworn statement from the mother and then notarizing it? How much of a cost did Sarah have to pay? I have no idea what this would cost.

 

frank1538: Yes, this is a mess! The dates are different because of a parent and his shady dealings to obtain a passport for Kathy who is such a loser that he could not remember her birth date. It is the passport that is incorrect by 20 days.

[maiyademama]

You should probably have your MM take the family Hukou ben to prove her birthdate when she gets a new passport. She could also take her birth certificate for additional proof. She may have to wait a long time for a new passport to be issued, but it should work out. My husband had the opposite problem. His birth certificate and his hukou both had the wrong birthdate. He didn't bother having it changed so as far as the PRC is concerned he was born 10 days after he was really born.

[sylinchinastill]

I wouldn't worry about what the right date is- she knows when she was born and you know- I would go and get a new birth certificate made from wherever the hukou is and get the same date on it as is on the passport- changing the passport would be a nightmare

[Squid]

She may have to wait a long time for a new passport to be issued

 

That is what I am trying to avoid! From all of your posts, it seams that the changing of the date on the birth certificate would be easier and more timely then changing the passport. She will just have a new birth date. Of course, last year, she made me give her a present for her incorrect birthday and real birthday. She kind of likes having two dates.:

 

Oh my God! What a mess!

[tywy_99]

My qi zi told me that in China, it is (or was) a common practice for parents to fabricate an earlier birthdate for children in order to get them in school sooner. Her actual BD is later then her BD on school and employment records which she carried throughtout her whole life in China.

[king]

From my experience getting a passport corrected depends mostly on where it was issued. For example, in Fujian province it would take about 3 months, but in Guangdong province my experience indicates only several days to a week.