Refugee travel document

See also: Certificate of identity and Refugee identity certificate

A sample refugee travel document

The bio-data page of an Australian refugee travel document issued to a Chinese refugee

The bio-data page of a New Zealand refugee travel document issued to a Chinese refugee

A refugee travel document (also called a 1951 Convention travel document or Geneva passport) is a travel document issued to a refugee by the state in which they normally reside. Allowing them to travel outside that state and to return there. Refugees are unable to be able to obtain passports from their state of nationality, because they have fled persecution or sought asylum there so any alternative document is necessary to allow them to participate in international travel.

Refugee travel documents are passport-like booklets. Their cover bears the words "Travel Document" in English and French (and often in the language of the issuing state). Earlier documents were originally grey, though some countries now issue them in other colors, depending on their national documentation system.

However, as a refugee travel document is not a regular national passport, some problems may be encountered by the holder from time to time, for example due to non-familiarity of airline staff with such documents. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Travel documents issued to refugees

• New Zealand Refugee Travel Document
• Estonian travel document for refugees
• U.S. Refugee Travel Document (United States)
• Australian Convention Travel Document. This document by itself does not allow the bearer to return to Australia; for that, a separate visa must be obtained. ^[4]
• Swiss Travel Document

Limitations of a refugee travel document compared to a passport

• Refugee travel documents issued by the Government of Canada cannot be used for travel to the bearer’s country of citizenship, ^[5] and a refugee travel document issued by another country is not treated as a valid passport for the purposes of obtaining an Electronic Travel Authorization to visit Canada. This restriction exists because refugees are generally considered to be under the protection of the country that granted them asylum, and returning to their country could indicate they are no longer required that protection.
• Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)
• Egyptian travel documents issued for Palestinian refugees are considered unacceptable travel documents for travel and entry to New Zealand, unless they include an entry visa allowing the holder to enter Egypt. ^[6] This requirement exists because immigration authorities often require proof that a traveler will be able to re-enter another country after their visit.

Gallery of Refugee Travel Documents

• 
  Argentine Refugee Travel Document
• 
  Australian Refugee Travel Document
• 
  German Refugee Travel Document
• 
  Irish Refugee Travel Document
• 
  Japanese Refugee Travel Document
• 
  Lithuanian Refugee Travel Document
• 
  New Zealand Refugee Travel Document
• 
  Russian Refugee Travel Document
• 
  Swiss Refugee Travel Document
• 
  Ukrainian Refugee Travel Document
• 
  United Kingdom Refugee Travel Document
• 
  United States Travel Document

See also

• Australian Convention Travel Document
• Refugee identity certificate
• Travel document
• 1954 Convention Travel Document, for stateless persons
• Certificate of identity, for stateless persons or others
• Nansen passport, the predecessor of the refugee travel document
• Convention relating to the status of refugees
• League of Nations, are considered the predecessors to modern refugee travel documents.

National non-citizen travel documents

• Canadian Certificate of Identity
• Japan Re-entry Permit
• Australian Certificate of Identity. This document by itself does not allow the bearer to return to Australia; for that, a separate visa must be obtained. ^[7]

Footnotes

1. Questions over refugee holiday process after Syrian family blocked after leaving Australia
2. Thailand Should Return Football Player Refugee To Australia, Not Bahrain
3. "Ryanair apologizes for preventing refugee from boarding flight". KOAM-TV . April 10, 2019. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
4. Convention Travel Documents (CTD) Archived 2013-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
5. "Types of passports and travel documents". Government of Canada. 2015-06-26. Archived from the original on 2015-06-01. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
6. "A2.15 Unacceptable travel documents". immigration.govt.nz. Immigration New Zealand. April 8, 2013.
7. Certificate of Identity(COI) Archived 2013-03-04 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Travel documents Archived 2022-06-22 at the Wayback Machine from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• 1951 Convention travel document Images from Passportland.com