The World Today
The government has reversed course and will once again include the place of birth in the passport.
Uruguay reverses passport change after embassy warnings and public concerns. The place of birth field is back on the document to avoid international obstacles. The measure caused political and diplomatic tension.
The new Uruguayan passport will once again include the place of birth after the change. Gastón Britos/FocoUy
After several days of tension and confusion surrounding the new Uruguayan passport, the government decided to reverse one of the most talked-about changes: the elimination of the place of birth field. The decision comes after warnings from some foreign embassies and concerns from citizens who feared possible travel complications.
The new document, issued on April 23, had been presented as an update aligned with international standards. However, the removal of this information prompted comments from the diplomatic delegations of Germany, Japan, and France, who requested more time to evaluate the new format.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry had defended the technical criteria applied. Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin was the one who publicly explained the measure, emphasizing that it was within the scope of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which does not require the inclusion of the place of birth.
Despite this, the decision was made last Monday to urgently resolve the situation. The Presidency requested a halt to public statements on the issue and instructed the ministries involved to find a solution within 48 hours. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that the passport will once again include this field.
According to sources within the Executive Branch, the priority was to prevent Uruguayans from facing obstacles when entering other countries, especially in cases of procedures such as visas or temporary residency. In fact, it was learned that several people began rescheduling or postponing their application for a new passport after learning of the repercussions.
Those within the presidential camp also stated that the government did not intend to deepen a political discussion on the issue. The intention was to quickly resolve a situation that had become uncomfortable internationally.
On the political front, Foreign Minister Lubetkin was not held directly responsible, although it was acknowledged that he had been exposed by publicly defending a change that did not originate with his ministry. Some Frente Amplio leaders even privately suggested he stop conducting interviews on the subject.
Parliamentary representatives emphasized that the passport was designed under technical guidelines and that implementation of the new format had begun under the previous administration. Daniel Caggiani, chairman of the Senate's International Affairs Committee, maintained that no country had formally rejected the new document. "Germany and Japan simply requested time to evaluate it," he explained.
For its part, the "We Are All Uruguay" collective, which had been consulted at the beginning of the current government to raise issues of discrimination against naturalized Uruguayan citizens, expressed surprise at the reversal of the measure. In a statement, they expressed their "consternation" and warned that some legal citizens could find themselves stateless in certain countries if clear criteria are not applied.
The original change—removing the place of birth—arose after a meeting attended by officials from the Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Ministry. The goal was to facilitate the free movement of Uruguayans with legal citizenship, who had experienced problems accessing visas or international flights.
With the new announcement, the government seeks to put an end to the controversy, although questions remain about how the return to the previous format will be implemented and whether any issued documents will need to be updated.
