Round Trip On Wrong Passport (Press, 19 August 1988)

On 19 August 1988, a 21-year-old woman from Christchurch inadvertently flew to Australia using her husband's passport, a situation that sparked a mix of confusion and humour. The incident occurred eight days prior when she travelled from Christchurch to Melbourne. It wasn't until her return to Christchurch that customs officials realised the mistake. The unnamed woman recalled that customs officers were surprised, and one officer even made a light-hearted remark about a possible sex change, although she insisted she did not resemble her husband. She was detained for about half an hour while her husband was called to retrieve her proper passport. Expressing her bewilderment, she noted that she could not understand how she was allowed to board and disembark flights without anyone noticing the discrepancy in identification. She speculated that the customs personnel may have focused only on passport numbers rather than closely examining the photographs. As someone who described herself as an inexperienced, anxious traveller, she reflected on how terrified she would have felt had she known about the mix-up while in Australia, questioning whether she would have been allowed back into New Zealand. Despite her initial distress, she later found the situation amusing. Her husband corroborated her anecdote, sharing that customs officials seemed indifferent to their situation. He conveyed his belief that travellers might exploit the loophole of travelling on someone else's passport as long as they share the same surname. Mick Browne, the chief customs officer at Christchurch Airport, acknowledged that local customs officials were not overly concerned since the travelling passenger held a New Zealand passport. However, he pointed out that Australian customs should take the incident more seriously given that regulations mandated New Zealanders to present their passports upon entry into Australia. Browne explained that while New Zealanders could return to their home country if they could establish their identity, showing a passport was typically a formality. He also clarified that, compared to the departure process, there was not as rigorous verification of passenger details before leaving New Zealand. Notably, he mentioned that it was a recent requirement for travelers between New Zealand and Australia to present passports upon departure. Browne summarised the situation by admitting he could not recall another instance where a traveller returned with a wrong passport without attracting attention from customs in the foreign country.

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