Burundi: The format of the birth date in Burundian passports; whether more than three letters are sometimes used to abbreviate the month
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Publication Date | 16 October 2009 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BDI103301.FE |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Burundi: The format of the birth date in Burundian passports; whether more than three letters are sometimes used to abbreviate the month, 16 October 2009, BDI103301.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4dd1176d2.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Sources consulted by the Research Directorate indicate that the month of the date of birth in a Burundian passport can be written with more than three letters (Burundi 14 Oct. 2009; OMAC 14 Oct. 2009; UN 14 Oct. 2009).
During a 14 October 2009 telephone interview with the Research Directorate, an official from the police responsible for airspace surveillance, border control and registration of foreigners (Police de l'air, des frontières et des étrangers, PAFE), a division of the Burundi National Police (Police nationale du Burundi, PNB) (UN 21 Feb. 2005, 7), stated that in new passports issued since 2005, dates and years are written as numbers and that only months are written in letters, some abbreviated and some in full.
During a 14 October 2009 telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Central African Media Organization (Organisation des médias d'Afrique centrale, OMAC), an organization of representatives from professional media organizations, freedom-of-the-press associations and professional journalists from Central Africa (OMAC n.d.), explained that, depending on the length of the word, some months may be written with more than three letters. For example, in his own passport, his date of birth is written as "04 juil.-jul 1957" (OMAC 14 Oct. 2009).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Burundi. 14 October 2009. Police de l'air, des frontières et des étrangers (PAFE). Telephone interview with an official.
United Nations (UN). 14 October 2009. UN Integrated Office in Burundi (Bureau intégré des Nations Unies au Burundi, BINUB). Telephone interview with a representative.
_____. 21 February 2005. UN Operation in Burundi (ONUB). "L'ONUB entame la formation des éléments de la nouvelle police burundaise." Bulletin hebdomadaire de l'opération des Nations Unies au Burundi, Info No. 24. (International Documentation Network on the Great African Lakes Region) <://www.grandslacs.net/doc/3519.pdf> [Accessed 14 Oct. 2009]
Organisation des médias d'Afrique centrale (OMAC). 14 October 2009. Telephone interview with a representative.
_____. N.d. "Bienvenue."
Additional sources consulted
Oral sources: Attempts to contact the Embassy of the Republic of Burundi in Ottawa were unsuccessful.
Internet sites, including: Association de réflexion et d'information sur le Burundi (ARIB), Centre d'alerte et de prévention des conflits (CENAP), Ligue burundaise des droits de l'homme ITEKA (Ligue ITEKA), Ligue des droits de la personne dans la région des Grands Lacs (LDGL), Net Press.
