A passport is a travel document issued by a country’s government to its citizens. It verifies the identity and nationality of the passport holder for the purpose of international travel.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Doc 9303 “Machine Readable Travel Documents,” passports are size 3 travel documents that must follow specific regulations for their construction, layout, and contents.
Size 3 travel documents must take the form of a booklet with at least 8 pages and a data page. The information on the data page must be in specific locations and zones that allow it to be electronically read. In addition, the ICAO mandates various security features on passports to prevent counterfeiting and fraud.
Passports usually contain the passport holder’s name, passport number, nationality, date and place of birth, the passport’s date of issue and date of expiry, photo, and signature.
Passport is necessary to travel abroad as it verifies your identity and nationality. It grants safe passage and protection in a foreign land.
Usually you must present your passport a few times at the airport if you are flying, and at the border if you are travelling by land.
Passport is necessary for international travel. However, possession of a passport doesn’t necessarily guarantee entry into the country. You may need to apply for a visa beforehand in order to be allowed entry into your destination country.
The passports of the world are ranked by their total visa-free score, that`s how passport power is determined. While planning your journey, make sure to check how many countries you can travel to visa-free with your passport and which countries require you to apply for a visa first.
There are several types of passports depending on the citizen`s status in a home country. At present, the passports issued by the majority of countries in the world are generally divided into 3 types: Diplomatic, Service/Official, and Regular.
A diplomatic passport type is issued to those who possess diplomatic status. For example, the diplomat, consul and official as well as the head of state, governmental officials, delegation members of the Congress or government, who are going abroad for national affairs or activities.
A Service/Official passport type is issued to government office-bearer of a country. Besides, all countries issue this type to the staff who works for embassies or consulates abroad but have no diplomatic status.
A Regular/Ordinary passport type is issued to all other citizens. For various reasons a Regular passport may have different types in different countries.
The passport place of issue/Issuing Authority is located on the passport data page somewhere near the name of the passport holder. It is usually written as either Authority or Issuing Authority.
When applying for a passport you must provide documents supporting your identity and citizenship. Each country has its own passport application requirements. Make sure to check your government’s website for the relevant list of required documents.
Yes. The passport-issuing authorities may refuse to issue a passport for different reasons. For example, if the applicant provides false information on the application, applicant is not a citizen of the country, or if charged with a crime.
When you apply to renew your passport, an old passport may be returned to you or securely destroyed by your government’s passport-issuing authority. If you have a visa that is still valid in your old passport, then it can be returned to you.
If an old passport is returned, then it must be invalidated, that`s why it is returned in a damaged form, for example with a hole through its pages.
Each country has its own passport renewal requirements. Make sure to check your government’s website for the relevant information.
For you to travel smoothly your passport must meet the following criteria:
- It should be valid.
- It should not be damaged.
- It should have enough blank pages.
Yes, passports expire. Validity period depends on the issuing country. Passports are usually valid for 5-10 years, after which they become invalid for travel.
There is no real limit on how many passports a single individual can have. However, the citizenship laws of your home country may include conditions or restrictions about dual citizenship. Some countries do not allow their citizens to hold dual or multiple passports and require them to give up their current nationality for a new one. Other countries allow dual or multiple citizenships with some conditions. For this reason, we recommend to check your country’s regulations on this matter.
No. Typically a passport isn`t required for domestic travel as other government-issued photo identification is acceptable. However, we recommend to check your country’s travel regulations to find out what documents are needed for domestic and international travel.
When traveling on domestic flights, you might be able to use a driver's license as your proof of identity if it has your national ID number. On international flights, you must carry either your passport or national ID card as proof of identity.
The passport application fee is the fee you must pay when applying for a new passport or renewal of an old passport. Each country has different passport application fees. Make sure to check your government’s website for the relevant information about payments.
Your passport must be not older than 10 years and it should be valid for at least 3 more months beyond the date you plan to leave a Schengen area.
Your passport must be valid for the whole duration of your stay in the UK.
When traveling to the USA, the general rule is to have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months beyond the date you plan to leave the country.
However, there are some exceptions:
Passport must have enough blank pages to accommodate entry and exit immigration stamps for each country of travel. A blank passport page is a clean and clear page, which does not show ink or stains from any other pages in the passport.
Passports must typically have 2-4 blank pages for international travel. The airline may not let you board or your destination country may not let you enter if there is no space for the entrance stamp/visa to be stamped into your passport.
At least 1 blank page in a passport is required for each visa. Most visas that are stamped in a passport require an entire blank passport page. Each country has different entry requirements for the number of blank pages required. Make sure to check with your destination country’s government website before starting your journey.
Passport is considered damaged if it appears to have been altered in any way and if identifying the passport holder is hindered in any way. Types of damage include exposure to water and humidity, and unauthorized markings.
Passports are official documents and should be taken care of at all times. Check your passport to make sure it is not damaged in any way. Ensure that passport pages are not partially or completely separated from the cover and that the laminate on the photograph page is intact.
Yes. A new passport has a different passport number than a previous passport. If you have applied for any official documents using your old passport, you may need to update that application with your new passport.
Passports must usually be valid for at least 6 months from the start of a travel date. Your travel destination country may not let you enter if there is a risk that your passport will expire while you are traveling.
Each country has different requirements for how long a passport must be valid. Make sure to check with your destination country’s government website before starting your journey.
Required passport validity for traveling to Canada is equal to the expiry date of your passport.
Probably not. If your passport is damaged in any way, it`s better to apply for a new one. It is most likely that the border security at your destination country will refuse you entry to the country if you present a damaged passport.
Yes. Children and babies require passports, as according to new regulations, every individual traveling abroad must have their own passport.
You can present a passport of your choice. However, we recommend that you present a passport and ID card, that is more advantageous to the visa and passport policy of your travel destination country. Note that some countries do not accept dual citizenship. Make sure to check with your destination country’s government website before starting your journey.
Yes. You can use your passport as identification outside the airport. However, it is not recommended to carry around your passport on a daily basis, as replacing a lost passport can be costly and time-consuming.
Yes. The information on all your travel documents (passport, ID, and ticket) must be the same. If you have officially changed your given name or surname, then you must apply for a new passport. It is important that your travel documents accurately reflect your current identity.
When applying for a new passport make sure to include official proofs of the name change (for example, a marriage or divorce certificate).
If you lose your passport or it is stolen, you must report it to the authorities immediately. Contact the local police as well as your country’s passport authorities (embassy/consulate) to report what happened. Your passport will be invalidated to ensure that it can`t be used fraudulently and you may be issued a temporary passport with which you can travel home. Then you must apply for a new passport.
Yes. Your passport may be revoked for several reasons, such as losing your citizenship, being charged with a crime, or providing false information on your passport application. The passport issuing authority reserves the right to refuse or revoke your passport if they feel they have sufficient grounds for doing so.