State Dept Proposes New 'Biographical Questionnaire' For Passport Applicants

[omimouse]

(First time posting; hope I've got the HTML right this time.)

The U.S. Department of State is proposing a new Biographical Questionnaire for passport applicants. The proposed new Form DS-5513 asks for all addresses since birth; lifetime employment history including employers’ and supervisors names, addresses, and telephone numbers; personal

Comments

[sakura_no_miko]

...all my addresses? I don't think I can even remember them all. At least 6, more if you count different dorm rooms. And all my employers? And, um...technically I don't know all of my siblings, or, rather, half-siblings. Do illegitimate (and I use that in the technical sense, even though it's a bit derogatory) siblings count? Step-siblings?

Really, I can't be the only person who moved all the time (mostly due to money problems) or had a series of part-time jobs, right? Isn't that normal nowadays?

[lightbird777]

Definitely not. I moved and changed jobs several times, and I don't remember the exact address of every place I lived, and I definitely don't remember the phone numbers of my old supervisors. And I don't have that old information written down anywhere either. It's not like I thought I would need it.

[archanglrobriel]

You're not the only one. I was a military brat, so we moved constantly when I was a child. As an adult I think this early conditioning kicked in and I've moved about every three to four years. There's just no way I can remember all of my addresses. I'm not sure I understand what relevance that information could -possibly- have on whether or not I would receive a passport. Ditto for the information about my siblings. Ditto for information about where I've worked.

This whole "it's not all that invasive" tack only works on people who have "standard issue" sorts of lives. For everyone else, this crap is HELLA invasive.

[roseofjuly]

I moved a lot growing up. I lived in at least 8 different houses before I moved out on my own and I only remember 4 of their addresses. I also don't remember the address of the apartment I lived in one summer in college. I asked my mom and she remembers some of them, but not the first address, so if I didn't already have a passport I'd be kind of screwed.

[3bird]

I've moved at least 13 times. I recently had to come up with my last 7 addresses for a background check and I couldn't remember them all. FML.

[ubiquitous_a]

I'm with you. I would be hard pressed to dig up all of the different addresses I've lived in just as an adult, let alone all the different places I lived as a kid!

[redqueenmeg]

srsly, if I count all my dorm rooms and everything else, I have twenty-five addresses since birth, not counting the hospital.

[redqueenmeg]

If I count all my dorm rooms, apartments, and everything, I have 25 addresses.

[windy_lea]

Hell, I don't remember the address of the last place I lived. :-/ My memory for those kind of things is kind of terrible, and I was only there for 1/2 a fucking year...