Original photo by Sergey Shik/ Shutterstock
Although we have virtually any color at our disposal when it comes to painting our homes, fans of offbeat hues like sarcoline or wenge might be disappointed to learn that passports come almost entirely in varieties of red, green, blue, and black. It’s not like there are any color-coded rules from the International Civil Aviation Organization, which otherwise offers guidelines for machine-readable travel documents, so what’s up with the universally restricted palette?
Oops, incorrect!
It's a factAs was the case with his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles no longer needs the normally mandatory travel document, as the British passport is issued in the name of the monarch.
According to Passport Index co-founder Hrant Boghossian, there are a variety of cultural and symbolic influences behind a country’s choice of passport color. Islamic states use green, for example, given the color's strong ties to the prophet Muhammad. Elsewhere, members of the European Union display unity via passports in the off-red color of burgundy. There are also practical reasons in play, including the relatively limited color choices available for cardstock used to make the booklets. And passports issued in black or dark blue (like the U.S.’s) are less likely to show obvious signs of wear.
Despite the general uniformity in this department, administrative powers around the world have found avenues for personalized expression. Newer passports of the United States, Canada, Norway, and China all feature designs that glow under ultraviolet light. And those of Finland and Slovenia offer a dash of fun with flipbook-style animations. So remember, don’t judge a book by its cover, even when it comes to jet-setting documents.
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A U.S. passport allows its bearer access to ______ countries, as of 2026.
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A U.S. passport allows its bearer access to 180 countries, as of 2026.
The United Arab Emirates issues passports for falcons.
No, there isn’t an ethnic minority of falcons among the populace of this Middle Eastern country, but they are considered a status symbol and feature prominently in popular exhibitions across the Arabian Peninsula. Because these birds can run upwards of $20,000 apiece, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in 2002 introduced passports for falcons in the UAE in an attempt to cut down on the smuggling. While these documents lack a means of photo confirmation, border agents can simply check an ID number in the passport against one inscribed on the falcon’s leg ring. In the meantime, these creatures are free to ride on certain airlines along with the rest of us.
Tim Ott has written for sites including Biography.com, History.com, and MLB.com, and is known to delude himself into thinking he can craft a marketable screenplay.
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