The World’s Most Effective Passport and Other Things You Don’t Know About Your Little Travel Booklet
Sure, you need a passport to cross international borders, but this is more than just a travel document: they track your journey, and there are nuances in the design of the passport booklet as well as in the access it provides. Here are 12 interesting facts you may not know about your passport.
It took six years to develop the current US passport.
If you had your passport before 2007, it looked different from the e-passport booklet you probably have now. In the current design, you’ll find inspirational quotes and images that fit the overall theme of “American Icon”. It took six years to create and finalize the theme, and was developed by a six-person committee from several government agencies. The last time US passports were completely redesigned was in 1993.
But the so-called “next generation passports” will soon appear.
The Department of State is issuing an updated passport book that should be more secure than the current e-passport. The next generation passport , again, will have updated images of “US architecture, history, culture, landscapes, and traditions,” as well as a redesigned data page.
This new version has been issued by some passport agencies since 2021, but you cannot separately request it and you do not need to replace your current passport book before it expires.
Passport colors vary somewhat by geography
Passports come in red, green, blue, or black, and while the colors of passport booklets are not an exact science, there are patterns associated with geography and politics .
Many countries that use shades of green have large Muslim populations or are members of the Economic Community of West African States; red is common in former communist countries and the Nordic countries; a handful of Caribbean and South American members of a particular customs union have blue passport books; and black is the least common color, but can be found in the passports of some African countries, New Zealand, and among US diplomats.
You can return your old passport when applying for a new one.
While you need to ship your old book when you renew your passport, in most cases you will receive it back after processing a new one. (Sometimes you need to request it when you renew your passport for a new one.) It may be in a different package, but the important thing is that you don’t lose your stamps and visas from previous trips.
Some people are eligible for a second US passport book.
Some travelers are allowed to hold two valid US passports at the same time. The following circumstances may qualify you for a second passport book:
- You have a stamp from one country that prohibits entry to another country – for example, you will be denied entry to some countries in the Middle East with proof of travel to Israel.
- You often need visas due to constant international travel.
- Your main passport is delayed in the visa application process, but you urgently need documents for international travel.
Secondary passports with limited validity are valid for up to four years instead of the usual 10.
Passport cards are only valid for land and sea travel.
Although secondary passport books are rare, many Americans have both a passport booklet and a passport card. But maps are used only at land and sea borders (not at airports) when returning home from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and some Caribbean countries. However, you can use your passport card as your ID for domestic flights.
You can no longer add additional pages to your passport booklet
In the past, you could submit your passport to add additional pages if you were at risk of running out of space. You now need to request a larger 52 page book along with your application or renewal if you plan to make the most of the standard 28 pages.
Gender markers in passport are updated
People are now free to choose the binary gender on their passport, even if it doesn’t match other citizenship documents required to apply. In early 2022, the State Department plans to fully roll out the Gender X marker for those who do not identify with binary men or women.
Visa-free travel determines who has the most powerful passport
According to the Passport Index, citizens of the United Arab Emirates hold the most powerful passport in the world in terms of overall mobility, which means they have minimum visa requirements. The United States is tied for fifth place with a handful of European countries as well as Singapore.
Take it with a grain of salt, however – another Visa Index ranks Japan to the top of the list of passport options, considering visa-free travel and on-arrival access for its citizens.
In the United States, only 45 passports are accepted without a visa.
On the other hand, the United States ranks 75th on the list of most hospitable countries for the number of passports allowed to enter the country without a visa. The Passport Index lists 23 countries that accept citizens of all 198 of the listed countries in the world without a visa, and 17 countries that require a visa for all visitors.
You may lose your passport if you do not pay taxes
The IRS can work with the Department of State to deny your passport or cancel your current passport if your tax arrears exceed $ 54,000. In 2019, more than 400,000 Americans risked losing their passports due to tax evasion.
Passports and citizenship can be bought
Perhaps unsurprisingly, even in countries with relatively strict immigration and citizenship requirements, those with enough money can skip the line. Called Citizenship by Investment , these programs allow the super-rich to buy their way. Some Caribbean countries are open for as little as $ 100,000, while the UK, Australia and New Zealand are demanding investments of millions of dollars.