A passport is a booklet issued by countries to their citizens, permitting the person to travel to other countries. In some cases countries issue travel documents similar to passports to their residents. International organizations also issue travel documents, usually called laissez-passer, to their staff. This article shows images of the various passports currently issued.
Passports where the captioned country is shown in italics are issued either by territories with extremely limited recognition of their passports or by states that are neither member states of the United Nations nor United Nations General Assembly non-member observer states.
However, even though Taiwan maintains official diplomatic relations with only 14 countries, its "Republic of China (Taiwan) Passport" is still accepted as a valid travel document in most countries of the world. Although its passport enjoys (for nationals with rights of abode in Taiwan) visa-free (or visa on arrival access) status in 137 countries, ranking the ordinary Taiwanese passport 29th in the world (tied with Uruguay) according to the Visa Restrictions Index, [1] some countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Jamaica and Mauritius, pursuant to their positions on Taiwan's political status, refuse to visé or stamp Taiwan passports, and instead issue visas on a separate travel document or a separate piece of paper to Taiwanese travellers to avoid conveying any kind of recognition to Taiwan as a polity distinct from the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Certain passports do not, without additional endorsement, confer the right of abode anywhere and have varying international acceptance for travel:
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid and protection, and obtain consular assistance from their government. In addition to facilitating travel, passports are a key mechanism for border security and regulating migration; they may also serve as official identification for various domestic purposes.
The Hong Kong Certificate of Identity (CI) was a formal travel document and passport, issued by the Hong Kong Government's Immigration Department until 30 June 1997. It is no longer possible to possess a valid CI as a travel document, as all CIs have expired by 30 June 2007, though most CI holders should be eligible to hold the HKSAR Passport.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport is a passport issued only to permanent residents of Hong Kong who also hold Chinese citizenship. In accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, since the handover in 1997, the passport has been issued by the Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong under the authorisation of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Document of Identity for Visa Purposes is a biometric travel document issued by the Hong Kong Immigration Department to residents of Hong Kong who are unable to obtain a national passport. It is usually valid for seven years.
The Republic of China (Taiwan) passport is the passport issued to nationals of the Republic of China. The ROC passport is also generally referred to as a Taiwanese passport. In September 2020, approximately 60.87 percent of Taiwanese citizens possessed a valid passport. All passports published in Taiwan since 2008 have been biometric.
A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international entity pursuant to international agreements to enable individuals to clear border control measures. Travel documents usually assure other governments that the bearer may return to the issuing country, and are often issued in booklet form to allow other governments to place visas as well as entry and exit stamps into them.
The People's Republic of China passport is a passport issued to citizens of the People's Republic of China for the purpose of international travel, and entitles its bearer to the protection of China's consular officials overseas.
Croatian passport is issued to citizens of the Republic of Croatia for the purpose of international travel. The passport has the purpose of serving as proof of Croatian citizenship and identity. Responsibility for their issuance lies with the Ministry of the Interior; and for citizens abroad, passports are issued by the local embassy or consulate. Croatian passports are valid for ten or five years, and are not renewable. Every Croatian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Economic Area and Switzerland.
A United Nations laissez-passer is a diplomatic travel document issued by the United Nations under the provisions of Article VII of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations in its offices in New York City and Geneva, as well as by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The Lebanese passport is a passport issued to the citizens of the Republic of Lebanon to enable them to travel outside the Republic of Lebanon and entitles the bearer to the protection from the diplomatic missions and consulates of the Republic of Lebanon if necessary. It is issued exclusively by the Lebanese Directorate General of General Security (DGGS), and can also be issued at various Lebanese diplomatic missions and/or consulates outside of the Republic of Lebanon. It allows the bearer a freedom of living in the Republic of Lebanon without any immigration requirements, participate in the Lebanese political system, entry to and exit from the Republic of Lebanon through any port, travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements, facilitates the process of securing consular assistance abroad from the diplomatic missions and consulates of the Republic of Lebanon if necessary, and requests protection for the bearer while abroad.
The visa policy of Hong Kong deals with the requirements in which a foreign national wishing to enter Hong Kong through one of the 15 immigration control points must meet to obtain an entry permit or Visa, which depending on the traveller's nationality, may be required to travel to, enter, and remain in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Visitors from over 145 countries are permitted without Visa entry for periods ranging from 7 to 180 days, to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for tourism or certain business-related activities. All visitors must hold a passport valid for more than 1 month.
The passport of Kosovo is a travel document that is issued by the Interior Ministry of Kosovo to the citizens of Kosovo to enable them to travel abroad. The passports are also used as proof of identity within the country, along with the national identity card.
Visitors to Mongolia must obtain a visa from one of the Mongolian diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries, or citizens who may obtain a visa on arrival, or citizens eligible for an e-Visa.
A common visa exists since the end of 2010 for the territories of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands which form together the territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. The visa is not valid for the European part of the Netherlands, which is part of the Schengen Area.
An Interpol Travel Document is a travel document issued to Interpol officers for travel to Interpol member countries. They are intended to reduce response times for personnel deployed to assist with transnational criminal investigations, major events or emergency situations by waiving normal visa requirements.
The visa policy of Kosovo deals with the requirements which a foreign national wishing to enter Kosovo must meet to obtain a visa, which is a permit to travel to, enter and remain in Kosovo.
Visa requirements for Maltese citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed by the authorities of foreign states on citizens of Malta. As of 5 November 2024, Maltese citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 187 countries and territories, ranking the Maltese passport 7th in the world (tied with Greek, and Swiss passports in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
The British Overseas Territories maintain their own entry requirements different from the visa policy of the United Kingdom. As a general rule, British citizens do not have automatic right of abode in these territories.
An electronic visa (E-Visa) and an electronic travel authorization are digital travel permits commonly required in conjunction with a valid passport for entry into specific jurisdictions. These electronic travel documents have gained prominence in the modern era of digital connectivity and streamlined travel processes.
The Israeli travel document in lieu of national passport, commonly called Israeli laissez-passer, is a travel document issued to the citizens of the State of Israel who do not qualify for an ordinary Israeli passport e.g. if they do not reside in Israel or have lost regular passport several times.
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