had been issued vs have been issued

Both "had been issued" and "have been issued" are grammatically correct, but they are used in different contexts. "Had been issued" is used when something was issued in the past before another point in the past, while "have been issued" is used to talk about something that was issued in the past and is still relevant in the present.

Explained by Vince
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: August 08, 2024 • 29958 views

had been issued

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to refer to something that was issued in the past before another point in the past.

Use "had been issued" when you want to talk about something that was issued in the past before another point in the past. For example, "The certificates had been issued before the event was canceled."

Examples:

The passports had been issued before the travelers arrived at the airport.
The permits had been issued prior to the construction work starting.
The tickets had been issued a week before the concert.
The licenses had been issued before the new regulations came into effect.
The visas had been issued before the travel restrictions were imposed.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: October 29, 2024

Apr 8, 2021 ... “Had been issued” is past perfect, so it means that something was issued before a certain time in the past. “Have been issued” is present perfect.
Aug 12, 2022 ... “More than 900 Chinese 'final warnings' had been issued by the end of 1964.”.
“Had been issued” means it was issued a long time ago, while “has been issued” mean it was issued recently. This is incorrect.
warrant had been issued if the Court is in session, or, if the Family Court is not in session, to the most accessible magistrate, if any, designated by the ...
Dec 20, 2019 ... At the beginning of the fiscal year, a total of 36,356,357 shares had been issued and the number of shares in treasury stock was 7,171,269.
“Has been issued” means that at the present time, the process of issuing something is complete. “Had been issued” means that at a particular time in the past.
Feb 16, 2020 ... The bonds had been issued in 2013 and had a remaining discount of $3 million at December 31, 2020. On January 1, 2021, Indian River Electronics ...
Oct 21, 2015 ... The bonds had been issued at par. On January 2, Year 2, Nilo retired $4,000,000 of the outstanding bonds at par plus a call premium of ...
Mar 14, 2022 ... Rex Corporation is authorized to issue 300,000 shares of common stock, $1 par, of which 140,000 shares had been issued. The corporation ...
At Dec 31, 2014, Hancock Company had 500,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, 400,000 of which had been issued and outstanding throughout the ...

Alternatives:

were issued
had already been issued
had been distributed
had been granted
had been provided

have been issued

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to talk about something that was issued in the past and is still relevant in the present.

Use "have been issued" when you want to refer to something that was issued in the past and is still valid or applicable in the present. For example, "The new passports have been issued to all citizens."