Originally Posted by
Often1
If you take a look at the extensive quote in #2 , you will see that the term "place of origin" is US term as well. However, the US Department of State has chosen to define "place of origin" as "place of birth as it is presently recognized [by the USA]."
Thus, a person born in what may have been the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) as it was called at the time of the person's birth, would today have a passport listing a place of birth of Germany because that is how that location on a map is recognized by the US today.
“place of origin” is not a field on US-issued passports and not a US term used by State or DHS to track/identify people on/via USG-issued ID. Instead we confound place of origin and place of birth for purposes of simplicity and lump it in as place of birth even when it’s not place of birth. Some countries track place of origin distinctly from place of birth. The US doesn’t use the terms like that when it comes to US passports — it’s just the place of birth field that is used.
Last edited by GUWonder; Dec 16, 2017 at 11:11 am