Harriet Cardew Denied Passport Due To Name

The girl who made international headlines last year still faces struggles against Icelandic bureaucracy over the issue of her name.

Vísir reports that Harriet Cardew has again been denied a passport, as her decidedly non-Icelandic name does not abide passport regulations: even though, in the example shown above, Icelandic passports can bear foreign names, this is only the case if a) both parents are foreign, or b) the child has an Icelandic first or middle name.

“The Name Committee is one thing,” her mother, Kristín, told reporters. “That she can’t get any identification or a passport is very serious.”

Harriet and her brother, Duncan, have been registered as Stúlka and Drengur (literally “girl” and “boy”) since birth. This has, Kristín says, effectively blocked her children from ever being able to travel.

The Ministry of the Interior – which has the final say in the matter – has twice sent letters to the Cardews apologising for the delay in processing their case. In November, the ministry said a decision would be reached by the end of January. A second letter then arrived in March, saying that a decision would be reached by the end of May. Harriet’s case remains unfinished.

Related:

National Registry Denies Ten-Year-Old Girl Passport

British Passport Granted To Harriet “Girl” Cardew