Maria Kostova is receiving a welcome gift on her 109th birthday — her very first passport … several decades after she initially applied for one.
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Kostova, who was born on February 7, 1898 in the Macedonian town of Shtip, did not have a birth certificate issued at the time of her birth. Twenty years ago when she applied for her passport, she was told that records of her birth had been misplaced. They assured her that they would look for the missing records, and as the years went by with no trace of the documents, Maria eventually gave up hope.
Now passport authorities have confirmed that records dating back to the late 19th century have been found, including Maria’s missing birth certificate.
I’m sure the centenarian is pretty excited about leaving for her very first foreign jaunt.