SENSITIVEBUTUNCLASSIFIED AGUIDETO AFGHAN DOCUMENTS PUBLISHEDBY: THEFRAUDPREVENTIONUNIT U.S.EMBASSYKABUL,AFGHANISTAN JUNE2011 1 SENSITIVEBUTUNCLASSIFIED SENSITIVEBUTUNCLASSIFIED TableofContents TableofContents AnIntroductiontoDocumentsinAfghanistan.............................................................................................3 TheManyGovernmentsofAfghanistan–ABriefHistory............................................................................4 Tazkera:TheAfghanNationalID..................................................................................................................5 DaoudiTazkeraExemplar.........................................................................................................................6 CommunistTazkeraExemplar..................................................................................................................7 CurrentTazkeraExemplar.........................................................................................................................8 PassportsinAfghanistan...............................................................................................................................9 CommunistPassportExemplar...............................................................................................................10 TalibanPassportExemplar......................................................................................................................11 CurrentPassportExemplar.....................................................................................................................12 BirthCertificates.........................................................................................................................................13 BirthCertificateExemplars.....................................................................................................................14 MarriageDocuments..................................................................................................................................15 MarriageCertificateExemplar................................................................................................................16 DivorceCertificates.....................................................................................................................................17 SchoolDocuments......................................................................................................................................18 SchoolTranscriptExemplars...................................................................................................................19 PoliceCertificates........................................................................................................................................20 Driver’sLicense...........................................................................................................................................21 Driver’sLicenseExemplar.......................................................................................................................22 BankDocuments.........................................................................................................................................23 BankDocumentExemplars.....................................................................................................................24 BusinessDocuments...................................................................................................................................25 BusinessRegistrationExemplars............................................................................................................26 Titles&LandDocuments............................................................................................................................27 2 SENSITIVEBUTUNCLASSIFIED SENSITIVEBUTUNCLASSIFIED AnIntroductiontoDocumentsinAfghanistan Afghanistanhasbeentornapartbywarforoverthirtyyears.ManyAfghanshavebeenrefugees numeroustimesintheirlifeandtheslowmovementofdevelopmentfrequentlygiveswaytocorruption andfraud.Identityisnotasettledconcept. ThecultureofAfghanistanmakesdeterminingone’sidentitydifficult.Afghannamingconventionsarea concernindeterminingidentity.ItisnotuncommonforAfghanstousedifferentnamesfordifferent circumstances.Forexample,anAfghanmaybeknownbyonenametofamilyandfriends,andanother tohis/heremployer.MostAfghansidentifythemselvesjustbyonename,and,occasionally,what appearsasasurnameiseitherafather’snameorthelastpartofalong,singlenamethatwasbroken up.AnAfghanmansometimesidentifieshimselfbyhisfirstnameandhisfather'sfirst(oronly)name. Sometimes,hechoosesashissurnamethenameofhistribe,orhisfamily'shomeregion,orsimplya wordwhosedefinitionisapositivecharacteristic.ItisnotuncommonforanAfghantoinventa surname,oftenbasedonawordwithcharacteristicstheindividuallikes(suchasexcellence,religious connotations,etc.).Womenbeforemarriagefollowthesamenamingpractices.Aftermarriage,a womaneitherreplacesherlastname(ifshehasone)withherhusband's,oraddsitafterheroriginal surname(ifshehadone),ordoesnottakeasurnameatall.Duringtheregimejustbeforethe communiststookover(PresidentDaoud'sregime),itwasillegalforAfghanstousetheirtribalnameasa surname.Whenthecommuniststookover(1978),manyAfghanswhowantedtousethisaffiliation returnedtoit. Most,ifnotall,Afghandocumentsareripeforfraud.Theyremainhandwritten,usuallyunsealedand quitecommonlydonotcontaintrueinformation.Forexample,mostplacesofbirthonanynationalid documentorpassportarethefather’splaceofbirth,nottheactualperson’splaceofbirth,which sometimesmaynothaveevenbeeninAfghanistan.MostAfghansbornbeforethelate1990’sdonot haveadayofbirth,onlyayear,andmanywilltellyouthatissimplyanestimate.Althoughdonor countriescontinuetoworkwiththeAfghangovernmenttoimprovetheirstandardofdocuments,no majorchangeshavebeenmadesincePresidentKarzaicametopowerin2001. ThemostcommonAfghanidentitydocumentinsideAfghanistanisthenationalid,ortazkera.Tazkeras areissuedbylocalpolicestations.Itisusuallyappliedforwhenachildreachesschoolagebutcanalso beobtainedand/ormodifiedthroughoutadulthood.Evenifitisnotobtainedormodifiedfraudulently thetazkeraisanunreliableidentitydocument.Biometricinformationislimitedtovaguephysical descriptionanditmaynotevenincludeaphoto.Biographicinformationisevenmoreopaque.Thedate ofbirthisusuallyamereestimateandtheplaceofbirthisbasedontribalorigin,nottheactuallocation ofbirth. ThemostcommonAfghandocumentthatoneislikelytoseeoutsideofAfghanistanistheAfghan passport.Afghanpassportslacklaminationonthebiodatapage,whichishandwritten,andcanbeeasily alteredwithapen.Thephotopageisoverlaidwithasimplelaminate.Whenalegitimatechangeismade toapassporttherewillbeanofficialMinistryofInteriorstamponapageofthepassport,sometimes withahandwrittennoterelatingthechangetonameordateofbirth.WhiletheMinistryofInterior issuesregular,studentandtradepassports,theMinistryofForeignAffairsissuesofficialanddiplomatic passports.Frequently,officialanddiplomaticpassportsareissuedtoAfghanswhoarenotgovernment employees. 3 SENSITIVEBUTUNCLASSIFIED SENSITIVEBUTUNCLASSIFIED TheManyGovernmentsofAfghanistan–ABriefHistory August19,1919–AfghanistanregainscontrolofcountryfromtheBritishfrom theTreatyofRawalpindi;ledbyKingAmanullahKhan. 1923–ThefirstlegallyͲapprovedAfghanConstitutionestablished 1919Ͳ1933 January1929–KingAmanullahKhanwasforcedtoleavethecountrybyrebels PreͲZahirShahEra ledbyHabibullahKalakani,whodisagreedwithKhan’splantomodernizethe country October1929–Khan’scousin,PrinceMohammedNadirShahkillsHabibullah KalakaniandtakesthethroneasKingNadirShah 1933–1973 1933–KingNadirShahisassassinated;hisson,MohammadZahirShahtakes ReignofZahirShah overthrone 1973–1978 1973–WhileKingZahirShahwasonadiplomatictripoutofthecountry,his ReignofDaoud brotherͲinͲlawandPrimeMinister,DaoudKhan,ledabloodlesscoupandtook over as Afghanistan’s First “President” Khan April1978–ThePeople’sDemocraticPartyofAfghanistan(CommunistParty) accusesDaoudKhan’sgovernmentofkillingoneoftheirprominentmembers; theyinturnassassinatehimandhisfamily.CommunistleaderNurMohammad TakhariisnamedPresident 1978Ͳ1992 December24–1979–TheSovietUnioninvadesAfghanistantopotentially CommunistRegime bolstersupportfortheCommunistgovernment,whichhadbeeninthe crosshairsofU.S.Ͳfunded“mujahedeen”fightersaspartoftheU.S.’ColdWar strategy 1989–TheSovietswithdrawfromAfghanistanbutcontinuetosupportthe CommunistpartythroughthenͲPresidentMohammadNajibullah 1992 – 1996 March1992Ͳ1996ͲAfterthecollapseoftheUSSRandongoingdomestic turmoil,foreigninterferenceleadstoongoingcivilwarandthegrowthofthe CivilWar Talibaninthesouthernpartofthecountry,ledbyMullahOmar September1996Ͳ2001–theTalibantakesoverKabul;remaininpower 1996–2001 (althoughonlyrecognizedbyahandfulofcountries)Fightingcontinuesfor TalibanRegime controlofthenorthernpartofthecountry,undertheleadershipofAhmadShah Massoud.Womenaredeniedbasicrights,includingeducation. 2001 – Now 2001–U.S.forcesinvadeandtoppletheTalibangovernment,forcingremaining membersintohidingintheAfghanistanͲPakistanborder,PresidentHamid KarzaiGovernment Karzaiisputinpower,hewasreͲelectedin2009foranadditional5Ͳyearterm 4 SENSITIVEBUTUNCLASSIFIED SENSITIVEBUTUNCLASSIFIED Tazkera:TheAfghanNationalID 1919 1933 Ͳ AfterDaoudKhantookpower,heinstitutedanationwidetazkeraprogram,as PreͲZahirShahEra describedbelow.AllAfghanswereforcedtogetanewtazkera,sothoseissued duringthisperiodwouldnotbeconsideredvalid. 1933–1973 ReignofZahirShah The "Daoudi tazkera" was issued under the regime of President Daoud in the 1970's. This document is constructed of a slightly