Girl, 9, gets her first passport, to visit Kerala

Anine-year-old Indian girl’s wish to see her homeland Kerala will soon come true, after she was issued her first passport by the Indian Consulate in Dubai last week.

Born and raised in the UAE, the girl had never been to school or flown anywhere since her birth. Her parents, hailing from Kerala, could not get her a passport and visa due to the legal issues they were facing, a social worker said yesterday.

The couple were not able to present their original passports and her birth certificate, which were mandatory for applying for her passport, said Nazar Nandi who helped them with the paperwork.

“Both the parents’ passports were surrendered in the court long back in connection with some legal issues. They were facing fines and imprisonment in financial cases.”

He said the girl is extremely excited that she will soon fly to Kerala thanks to the ongoing visa amnesty in the UAE.

“Her only wish was to get the passport to go and see Kerala. Now we are assisting her parents to solve their cases.”