Are you a jetsetter or an aspiring globe traveler? If yes, then one important thing that you would need to have is a passport.
As defined by dictionary.com, a passport is an official document issued by the government of a country to one of its citizens authorizing travel to foreign countries and authenticating the bearer’s identity, citizenship, right to protection while abroad, and right to reenter his or her own native country.
But do you know that there are only four colors of passports in the world? The thing is, countries all over the world don’t have much choice. There are only four factories in the world that manufacture passports for all the countries of the world. Stocks are limited when it comes to colors and materials. It is really not easy for a country to change designs.
According to Hrant Boghossian, vice president of marketing at the interactive passport database, “Passport production is a highly controlled process, and only few companies around the world are doing it.”
The materials being used for passport covers only come in certain color variations to meet the required standards. Red, blue, black and green are the limited colors used. Although you can see different shades of the color, there is often a symbol why a country chooses which to use.
RED
Burgundy and red are mostly used by members of European Union (EU) due to the controversial ‘past communist history.’ China and Russia both use a burgundy passport. Most countries with ‘alleged’histories of communism are likely to choose this color. Political motive can also be a reason such as Turkey recently changing its passport to burgundy in hopes to join EU.
GREEN
Most Islamic states opt for green passports supposedly due to importance in religion. Green is said to symbolize life and nature. Several West African countries also have varying shades of green as their passports, but it symbolizes membership to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
BLACK
The rarest color of all passports, black is used by only ten countries to date. New Zealand uses black passports because it is its national color, but for some countries, it is mostly due to the practicality of black less likely to show damage.
BLUE
Considered the most popular passports, this color is used by ‘modern’ nations such as Australia, Canada, and the United States. It is also used by member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom). Countries in the CA-4 Treaty (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) use the Central American passport format, joining Nicaragua and El Salvador in a uniform design and blue color.
Although passports haven’t changed much in the past decades, the new era is starting to see exciting changes in the aesthetics of this travel document. Countries are beginning to include special features to differentiate their passports.
Check out this Finnish Passport with a flipbook art:
What color is your passport?
