Passport
From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.
- This article is about the international travel document. For Microsoft Corporation's "universal login" service, see Microsoft Passport.
A passport is a formal document or certification issued by a national government that identifies the holder as a citizen of a particular country, and requests permission, in the name of the sovereign or government of the issuing country, for the bearer to be permitted to enter and pass through other countries. Passports are connected with the right of legal protection abroad and the right to enter one's country of citizenship. Passports usually contain the holder's photograph, signature, date of birth, nationality, and sometimes other means of individual identification. Many countries are in the process of developing biometric properties for their passports in order to further confirm that the person presenting the passport is the legitimate holder.
A passport is usually necessary for international travel, as it normally needs to be shown at a country's border. It may be stamped or sealed with visas issued by the host country authorizing entry.
Some governments try to control the movements of their own and other citizens. In the Soviet Union, all citizens were issued propiski to control their movement around the country (A type of internal passport). This system has been partly retained in Russia.
Many Muslim countries will not allow entry to people with evidence of a visit to Israel in their passport. To help foreigners circumvent these restrictions, Israel does not require visitors to have their passports stamped upon entry, making it difficult for those countries to tell if a citizen or tourist went there. Many of these nations are aware of the exit stamps placed in passports by Egypt and Jordan at their land borders with Israel and may block entry based on the presence of these stamps. For example, an individual may well find themselves blocked from entering certain countries because of the presence of an Egyptian exit stamp indicating the person left Egypt at Taba since the only possible place this person could have gone was Elat, Israel. Some nations will void old passports and reissue new passports to their nationals based on the presence of evidence of a visit to Israel, recognising that the passport is now unable to properly perform its function.
Because of US treasury restrictions on US citizens who visit Cuba, that country will similarly not stamp a passport, if requested.
In most countries, the passport is state property which may be withdrawn at any time. Passports may have to be temporarily surrendered by people on bail and awaiting trial if there is a risk that they might abscond. Prominent people with left-wing views, such as Paul Robeson, were once prevented from traveling abroad by this method by the US government. However, the U.S. Supreme Court held in the 1958 case Kent v. Dulles that international travel was an inherent right which could not be denied to American citizens.
As identifying documents, passports are frequent subjects of theft and forgery. See Sealand.
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International travel without passports
In some circumstances, travel between countries may be done without showing a passport. These include:
Reciprocal agreements
Some countries have a reciprocal agreements such that a visa is not needed under certain conditions, e.g. when the visit is for tourism and for a relatively short period. No visa is required for travelling between European Union countries, where citizens of EU member states have full freedom of movement and work.
A few countries have agreements allowing for cross-border travel without passports (but generally with identification). Examples include:
- The Schengen Group countries (a subset of the European Union plus Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, see Schengen Group for details).
- The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
- The NAFTA countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Refugees and stateless persons
Stateless persons (those to whom no country will grant a passport or citizenship) generally travel internationally on transit documents issued by the United Nations under the terms of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. These are accepted in lieu of passports by most governments. Similarly, refugees and asylum seekers often travel under non-national interim documentation, rather than the passport of the country from which they are fleeing.
The Vatican City
The Vatican City has no formal immigration controls. As the only entrance to the tiny country is overland from Italy, the de-facto immigration requirements of the Vatican City are the same as those of Italy.
Limitations on acceptance of passports
Although most countries recognise the passports of most other countries, there are a number of exceptions. Generally these exceptions are due to circumstances where one country refuses to accept the existence of another territory or government as a legitimate country.
Cyprus
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) issues passports, but only Turkey recognises the statehood of Northern Cyprus. TRNC passports are not accepted for entry into the Republic of Cyprus. The Republic of Cyprus also refuses entry to holders of Yugoslavian passports "bearing a renewal stamp with the name 'Macedonia'" (source).
Israel
A number of Muslim countries do not accept Israeli passports, largely due to their governments' current or historical refusal to recognise Israel as a legal state. These countries are:
- Algeria
- Bangladesh
- Iran
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Malaysia, except with written permission from the Malaysian government
- Pakistan, unless the person is a Pakistani expatriate
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Sudan
- Syria
- United Arab Emirates (Sources conflict over whether or not passports with Israeli stamps are accepted)
- Yemen
Micronations
Many micronations, such as Sealand, issue passports and other citizenship documents. No UN member country recognises these documents as valid for transfer or entry.
Political and ideological requirements for passport holders
Some countries impose particular political and ideological requirements on passport applicants, issuing passports and exit-visas only to those who meet those requirements.
North Korea
North Korea strictly limits the granting of passports to a small trusted minority. Membership of the Korean Workers' Party is essentially a prerequisite.
Pakistan
Pakistan imposes a requirement on its Muslim citizens when they apply for a passport, requiring them to agree to the following:
- I am a Muslim and believe in the absolute and unqualified finality of the Prophet hood of Hazrat Muhemmed (peace be upon him) the last of the Prophets.
- I do not recognize any who claims to be a prophet in any sense of the word or any description whatsoever, after Hazrat Muhemmed (peace be upon him) or recognize such a claimant as a prophet or a religious reformer as Muslim.
- I consider Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani to be an impostor nabi and also consider his followers whether belonging to the Lahori, Qadiani or Mirzai groups, to be non-Muslims. (source)
Countries issuing more than one type of passports
- United Kingdom - see British nationality law
- People's Republic of China - Hong Kong and Macao have their own passports and immigration regulations. Numbers of countries and territories offering visa-free entries to these three type of passports vary.
External links
- Article: 16 Tips to Prevent Passport Problems
- Passports of the World (with images)
- History of Canadian Passports
- History of UK Passports (UK Passport Service)
de:Reisepass ko:여권 nl:Paspoort ja:パスポート no:Pass zh-cn:护照
