Passport

A passport is a formal travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. It allows the person to enter and stay in a foreign country temporarily, access help and protection, and get consular assistance from their own government. Passports are also important for border security and regulating migration, and they can sometimes be used as identity documents at home.

Travel documents like passports have existed for a long time, but the modern passport became standard in 1920. Today, a passport is usually a small book with the name and emblem of the government that issued it. Inside, you will find important details about the person, such as their full name, photograph, place and date of birth, and signature. The book has pages for entry and exit stamps and travel visas, which are special permits that let a person visit another country for a certain time under certain conditions.

Since 1998, many countries have started using biometric passports with an embedded microchip. These help confirm a person's identity and prevent counterfeiting. As of July 2024, more than 150 places around the world issue these "e-passports," although older passports still work until they expire.

History

Etymology and origin

The word "passport" might come from old Italian words meaning "to pass the harbor" or "to pass the gates." Long ago, some Italian cities needed travelers to carry special papers to enter or leave the city. These papers listed the places a person could go. Usually, you didn’t need papers to reach a port, but you did need them to travel from the port into the land. This idea of controlling who could move where helped change how people were managed from old ways to new ones.

Antecedents

Even very long ago, people needed papers to travel. For example, a man named Nehemiah asked a king for permission to visit a place called Judea over 2,400 years ago, and the king gave him a letter to help him on his trip.

Other places also had travel papers. In ancient India, people paid a small fee to get a pass to enter or leave the country. In China, people needed papers that described their age, height, and other features to travel between areas. Even in the Islamic world, people who paid certain taxes could carry a paper that let them travel.

Later, in the 1100s, a city in Italy gave out special papers to its people and others visiting. England also made papers for travel in the 1400s, and by the 1500s, a group of leaders in England was in charge of giving them out. Rules about who could get these papers changed over time.

Modern development

As trains became faster and more people traveled between countries in the 1800s, many places stopped needing passports for a while because it was hard to check them all. But during World War I, countries started needing passports again for safety and to control who could leave or enter.

After the war, rules about passports became more common, even though some people didn’t like having their picture and details in them. In 1914, Britain made passports into booklets and required photos. In 1920, a group of countries met to talk about making passports easier to use, and later, they made special papers for people who didn’t have a country.

In 1980, a group called the International Civil Aviation Organization made rules to help make passports easier to read quickly. New passports now have special chips that store information to make sure they are real.

Types

Governments around the world issue different kinds of passports for various reasons. The most common type is an ordinary passport, given to individual citizens and other nationals. In the past, some countries issued passports for whole families, but now passports are usually given to one person for their travels.

Besides ordinary passports, there are special passports for certain situations. Some people can hold more than one ordinary passport, and they might also have an official or diplomatic passport.

Emergency passport

If someone needs to travel urgently but does not have a passport—like if theirs was lost, stolen, or about to expire—they can get an emergency passport. These are for very short trips, often just to get home quickly. Special travel papers called laissez-passers can also be used for this.

Diplomatic and official passports

Diplomats and government workers often get special passports for their work. These passports help them travel more easily to other countries. There are three main types:

Diplomatic passports

These are for important diplomats, leaders, and top government workers. They usually get special treatment when entering other countries.

Service/official passports

These are for government workers traveling for work who don’t qualify for diplomatic passports. They also often get special treatment when traveling.

Public affairs passports

These are for important business leaders in China. They don’t always get special treatment, but some countries make it easier for them to get visas.

Passports without right of abode

Some countries, like the United Kingdom and Taiwan, issue passports to people who don’t have the same rights to live there as others. These people can still get residence permits if they apply.

Republic of China (Taiwan)

People in Taiwan without certain registrations are called Nationals Without Household Registration. They can still get Taiwanese passports but face some travel limits.

United Kingdom

The UK has several types of passports for different groups of people connected to its history. Some of these don’t give the holder the same rights to live in the UK.

Regional and subnational passports

China

Special areas like Hong Kong and Macau issue their own passports. These passports often make it easier to travel to many countries compared to regular Chinese passports.

Kingdom of Denmark

People from Greenland or the Faroe Islands can choose between a regular Danish passport or one that shows they are from those areas.

Serbian Coordination Directorate Passports in Kosovo

People from Kosovo can get Serbian passports, but these don’t allow easy travel to many European countries without a visa.

American Samoa

Some people born in American Samoa are U.S. nationals but not citizens. Their passports show this difference.

Details and specifications

Each country has its own rules for giving out passports. Most countries treat passports as government property, and they can be taken away at any time for certain reasons. Sometimes, people must give up their old passport when they get a new one, especially if the old one is expired or doesn’t have enough space for stamps.

Passports usually last between 5 and 10 years. Many places want your passport to be valid for at least six more months after your trip. Some countries even make your passport last ten years, like in the United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, and Australia.

Most passports show the country’s symbol on the cover. Some groups of countries have agreed to use the same design for their passports. For example, countries in the European Union usually have a red cover with their country’s name and symbol. Others, like those in Central America, have a blue cover with a map of the region.

Passports often have a special message asking people to help the holder travel safely. This message can be in more than one language, depending on the country.

Passports are usually written in more than one language. The International Civil Aviation Organization suggests using English, French, or Spanish, or the country’s own language along with one of those. Many countries use their own language plus English and sometimes French. For example, United States passports are in English, French, and Spanish, and some European countries show all of their official languages.

Limitations on use

Further information: Visa (document), Non-visa travel restrictions, and Border control

A passport is a special paper that shows who you are and which country you belong to when you travel to other places. But just having a passport does not mean you can visit every country. Many places need you to get a visa first, which is another paper that says you can visit for a certain time. Each country has its own rules about who can come in and why.

Some countries do not let people from certain places enter, or they might not let you in if you have been to another country they don’t like. For example, some countries do not allow people with passports from certain places to visit, or they might check if you have stamps from other countries in your passport. These rules can change, and some countries might allow visits only if special permission is given.

Value

A passport helps you travel to other countries. One way to measure a passport's value is by its mobility score (MS). This score counts how many countries let you visit without needing a special visa. As of 2026, the Singaporean passport is the strongest because it allows the most visa-free travel.

Another way to look at a passport's value is how many countries let you live and work there. For example, an Irish passport is very powerful because it lets the holder live and work in all European Union/European Economic Area countries, plus Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Fraud

"Forged passport" redirects here. For the 1939 film, see Forged Passport.

Passport fraud means using fake or changed travel papers in ways they were not meant to be used. People might do this to steal someone else's identity, enter a country without permission, avoid being sent away, commit money crimes, or move illegal goods across borders. This can be done with real papers that were changed or with completely made-up papers.

A fake passport looks like a real one made by a government but was created by someone who was not allowed to do this. These fake papers are meant to trick others into thinking they are real travel or identity documents. Sometimes, people get real passports by giving false information, which is also considered fake.

Passport fraud happens all around the world. Laws in different countries try to stop this, and there can be big fines and long prison sentences for people caught doing it. In the United States, using fake passports is a serious crime and can lead to very harsh punishments.

Passport issuance volumes

Passport retention

Sometimes, passports are taken away from people who are working in another country. This can be a sign that these workers are not being treated fairly and might be facing serious problems. Organizations that watch over workers’ rights see this as a warning sign of unfair treatment.