How to cross-check dates of birth and names across documents
Write down the name and date of birth exactly as printed on every document, then compare the list side by side. Mismatches are common and often innocent, but each one needs an explanation before a file goes further.
Why mismatches happen
- Transliteration. A name written in one script and spelled in another can come out differently on different documents.
- Date formats. 03/04/1987 is 3 April in some countries and 4 March in others.
- Clerical errors. A typo on a certificate, a form or a translation can sit unnoticed for years.
- Old documents. An older passport or certificate may show details that were later corrected or changed on newer documents.
A manual method
- List every document that shows a name or a date of birth, such as passports, birth certificates, police certificates and test results.
- For each one, record the name and the date of birth exactly as printed, in a table with one row per document.
- Rewrite every date in one unambiguous format, for example 3 April 1987, so the day and month cannot be confused.
- Compare the rows. Mark any difference, including a single letter, a swapped digit or a missing middle name.
- Work out which document is the authoritative record of the person, and ask your client about every document that differs from it.
- Write down each explanation, and note which documents may need correcting or supporting evidence.
What to do with a mismatch
Do not assume which version is right. Ask the client, record what you learn, and check the Department of Home Affairs' current requirements for how differences in names and dates of birth should be explained or evidenced. Decisions about the file stay with you.
What Casen does today
Casen reads a client's documents together and compares the dates of birth across them. Where the dates differ, it flags the mismatch in red and labels it "Checked by Casen", because it is verified in code. The example file on the Casen home page shows a passport with one date of birth and two other documents with another.
Names are for you to check by hand, using the method above. The flagged cross-document check in Casen is the date of birth comparison.
A flag is a prompt for your review. Casen's results are indicative, not legal advice. A registered migration agent checks them and decides what to do.
To see how it works on a real file, start free, or read the FAQs.
