Personal Signatures Required for Passports and Visas

The Department of Consular Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on citizens who apply for passports or visas to verify the information on forms in person and sign their names to show that they take responsibility for it.

While the implementation of new passport regulations this June has greatly simplified procedures, many citizens for the sake of convenience have commissioned others to apply for passports or visas for them, and since the applicants have not been filling out the information on the forms in person, the documents have often been rejected because of inaccurate information or the passport holders themselves have discovered discrepancies after the fact and asked for changes.

The Department of Consular Affairs specially calls on citizens applying for passports or visas, even if they have commissioned an agent to handle procedures for them, to carefully check the information on the forms for errors and to sign the forms in person to show their concurrence.