[Debconf-discuss] (Off-topic) Interesting national ID documents during DC8 KSP
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Greetings,
I enjoyed some national ID documents in this year's KSP [0]. I'm used to
see passports where the passport number has been perforated using laser
in all the pages except the first ones. I know there are some passports
which don't have the perforations, but wherever I see them I accepted as
a fact that they match with the passport number.
However, at least two of the passports I checked didn't match. I had to
look for the machine readable part of the passport in order to verify
it, and it seems like the "real" passport number is the perforated one,
and not the one that bears the "passport number" inscription [1]
Some brazilians used a form of national ID card which didn't have an
expiration date [2] -- this is unusual since you're usually expected to
come back in five years or so for that kind of documents. The photo in
the brazilian passport has a (prominently located) date, which usually
isn't the same as the passport's expedition date. I was told that you
have to take the picture before and bring it with you when you're
getting your passport.
Mexican passports have longer or shorter durations depending on how much
you pay on taxes when you request it. It probably has a legal framework,
but I find it terrible when governments impose travel restrictions for
their own citizens based on money requirements. Example given, in order
to travel outside Venezuela and get your 600 USD allowance (the only
legal way to get foreign currencies), you have to get a credit card,
which is almost impossible if you are under 25.
I recall seeing spanish passports written in their autonomic languages
- -- they had labels in EU languages, as well as catalonian, galician
and basque -- I didn't see that in recent biometrical passports, and I
was told that you can now choose which language would you like your
passport written in.
My own national ID card had a "typo" in my birthdate (which zack and
atomo64 promptly noticed), which is April 25th., 1987, but they typed
"987" as the year, thus making me 1021 years old, which is NOT NICE.
So, for a funny ending with a political touch, I found some people
browsing through my passport looking for a United States Visa, which had
"good" and "proper" information about me. Curious, at least.
Thanks for Don and Anibal for taking care of the KSP, and everyone who
participated this year!
[0] Not as much as Jacobo: http://raw-output.org/20080815/blacklights
[1] I assume that governments "reuse" older passport books and numbering
in order to save money. And since several countries here are changing
their national documents recently... well.
[2] They don't need a passport to come to Argentina, due to MERCOSUR,
that's why they used that card. We venezuelans aren't supposed to need a
passport either for the same reason, and we were stamped with MERCOSUR
stamps at the airport. The situation in South America regarding free
travel is tricky, but hopefully improving, check:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_South_American_Nations
- --
José Miguel Parrella Romero PGP Key 0x005C3B82
Debian Developer www.bureado.com.ve
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