How to Calculate Age for Visa, Passport, or Official Documents

Calculating accurate age is important, especially when applying for a visa, passport, or other official documents. Even a single small mistake may delay or reject the application. In this guide, we’ll explain how to calculate age for visas, passports, and other official documents.

Understanding What is Age Calculation?

There is a difference between the date of birth and the current date. For official documentation, age is represented in years, months, and Days. For example, if you were born on February 04, 1993, and today is May 15, 2025, your age calculations will be:

Years: 2025 – 1993 = 32 years
Months: May – February = 3 months
Days: 15 – 04 = 11 days.

Your exact age will be 32 years, 3 months, and 11 days.

Why Does Accurate Age Matter?

Accurate age matters a lot when applying for governmental documents, such as a passport, visa, identity card, etc. An incorrect age can cause various issues:

Processing Delays: Incorrect age and mistakes in your date of birth (DOB) or age calculations can delay the verification process.
Legal Issues: It can also lead to complications and delays in processing and interviews, which may also cause legal issues.
Application Rejection: Inaccurate age calculations can lead to rejection, as visa and passport applications are strict with age.

How To Calculate Age Correctly?

Know Your DoB: Identify your accurate date of birth as mentioned on the birth certificate, CNIC, or other official documents.
Know the Current Date: Open a calendar and check today’s date carefully. The difference in days can also affect the calculations.
Calculate Year: Subtract your birth year from the current year. For example, 2025 – 1993 = 32 years.
Subtract Months: Calculate the months by subtracting the current month from your birth month. If your birth month does not occur in the current year, you can borrow one year and calculate the difference in months.
Calculate Days: If your birth month has not yet occurred this year, you can borrow one month and calculate the days difference.

If you don’t know how to calculate age manually, you can use our free online chronological age calculator.

Age Requirements for Visas and Passports

Each country or state has different age-related requirements for visas and passports. For example:

Student Visa: Depending on the program, diploma, or degree, a student visa may require an age between 18 and 30.
Child Visa: It may be required under 18 years with permission granted by guardians.
Job/Work Visa: A work visa typically requires an age between 25 and 40, depending on previous employment experience.
Retirement Visa: Retirement visas are normally offered at the age of 60, but some countries offer them at 55.

Mistakes to Avoid:

Misreading: Misreading and calculating the current age can delay your application. Ensure you have used the exact current date.
Ignoring Leap years: Don’t forget to calculate the leap years, as there is an extra day in February. Add an extra day if you were born in a leap year.
Incorrect Age Calculations: Keep in mind that not every month has the same number of days. February has 28 days (29 days in leap years), while other months have 30 or 31 days.