Skip to main content
Guidance

Place and country of birth: caseworker guidance

Tells HM Passport Office staff about the customer’s place and country of birth and how they must be shown on the passport and in our records.

Updates to this page

From:
HM Passport Office
Published:
17 June 2021
Last updated:
12 November 2025
Show all updates

  1. This guidance has been updated to tell examiners to add observation OBTZ when they are abbreviating a name on a passport; in the Place of birth: common names changes section to show Grahamstown, South Africa has changed to Makhanda, South Africa; in the Country of birth: islands, places, and territories section to remove reference to The Occupied Palestinian Territories following the recognition of the State of Palestine (Palestine (Gaza) and Palestine (West Bank)).

  2. Changes can be found within the 'Changes from last version of this guidance' section within the guidance.

  3. Removed reference of China and Taiwan. Updated Place of birth: common name changes section to show we must use Kyiv instead of Kiev. Updated Place of birth and country of birth: UK nationality certificates to show how we will deal with naturalisation or registration certificates that show Hong Kong as the customer’s country of birth. Updated When to record the customer’s place of birth as unknown if a UK issued adoption certificate does not give a place and country of birth. Added information to show a customer can choose to have their place of birth written in Welsh if they were born in Wales. Updated Rangoon to Yangon in place of birth field. Added information that if a customer asks for their place of birth to be changed, you do not need to ask them to complete another declaration form. Updated throughout to reflect a change in the name and roles of HM Passport Office's Guidance team.

  4. Added version 18.0 of guidance.

  5. Accessible version added.

  6. First published.

Documents

Place and country of birth (accessible)

HTML

Place and country of birth

PDF, 308 KB, 24 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alternativeformats@homeoffice.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

This guidance tells HM Passport Office staff dealing with passport applications:

  • how the customer’s place and country of birth is part of their identity
  • the customer’s place and country of birth affects their nationality
  • how the customer’s place and country of birth may affect their entitlement
  • the impact place and country of birth may have on a vulnerability
  • how the customer’s place and country of birth may affect consent for a passport
  • about the importance of the name of the place and country of birth, and how to correctly record them
  • what documents a customer must send us, as evidence of their place and country of birth
  • how and when you must make changes to the customer’s place and country of birth

Sign up for emails or print this page

Related content