Passport - Wikivoyage, the free collaborative travel and tourism guide - Passeport — Wikivoyage, le guide de voyage et de tourisme collaboratif gratuit

The passport is a circulation document issued by the government of a state to its citizens. Passports are usually supplemented by visas which are issued by the country in which the traveler intends to visit (at an embassy or consulate) and usually glued or stamped on one of the pages of the passport. Neither a valid passport nor a visa, however, can guarantee entry into another country.

In some countries, a passport can also be used as an identity document, for example, when opening a bank account.

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The first passport convention dates from 1920, the League of Nations then decided that all passports must contain information in French which was the diplomatic language of the time. Today, all passports contain information at least in English and in French, as well as in the official language (s) of the issuing country if it is not English or French.

The cover page includes the word “passport” and the name of the issuing country in the official language (s) of the issuing country and sometimes a second language, such as English; the coat of arms of the country and a special universal symbol if it is biometric. In addition, all member states of theEuropean Union have "European Union" written in the official language (s) above the name of the issuing country.

The passport information page records basic passport information: the surname of its bearer, first names, photo, date and place of birth, period of validity, issuing authority, place of issuance and passport number as well as the date the passport was issued and the expiration date. Most passports also contain a written request for safe passage and bearer assistance in an emergency. Most passports issued in recent years have a machine-readable strip at the bottom of the page to speed up encoding.

In some countries, the following pages are amendments where the issuance of the carrier country may impose travel restrictions, change the conditions of travel abroad or change the period of validity. In addition, pages can be included which provides useful legal and practical information to the wearer. This legal and practical information is sometimes located at the end of the passport or on the back of the cover pages.

Most of the passport pages are reserved for visas where visas from different embassies Where consulates are glued or stamped. The stamps of officials responsible for passport control revealing the history of entries and exits of the countries visited are also found on these pages.

Types

Ordinary passport

The ordinary or tourist passport is the most common type of passport issued to citizens for international travel generally for tourism and business.

Diplomatic passport

Diplomatic passport Algerian.

A diplomatic passport is a passport issued by a sovereign state to its diplomats for their business trips, as well as to accompanying persons.

The holder of a diplomatic passport generally enjoys diplomatic immunity. The two terms do not however overlap completely, since the diplomatic passport is provided by the country for which the diplomat works while diplomatic immunity is (possibly) granted by the host country, either through bilateral or international agreements, or by a personal entry authorization in recognition of the diplomatic role of the holder of this type of passport (right often materialized by a so-called diplomatic visa).

If a diplomatic passport holder is traveling on their own account, they must present a different passport. The diplomatic passport is reserved for diplomats in official activity.

The diplomatic passport is usually for three years and colored red. Unlike the ordinary passport, it is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Service passport

The service passport is a type of passport that can be issued to nationals of the issuing country who, not being entitled to a diplomatic passport, perform missions or are posted abroad on behalf of the government.

It can be issued to civil or military agents of the State, to their spouses if they do not exercise any remunerated activity and to their minor children.

They are often treated like diplomatic passports.

Internal passport

In some countries (for example the Russia) a local passport is for its citizens for household use only. For international travel, an ordinary passport must be issued. An internal passport is often used to control the movement of people from one region from one country to another, which is often implemented to prevent residents of one unstable region from spreading their conflict to another region.

Animal passport

Since October 1, 2004, pets (dogs, cats, ferrets, etc.) must have an animal passport to travel freely within the European Union. This passport can be obtained from your veterinarian.

Technology and security

Some countries require certain passport security features to issue visas on arrival, biometric and machine-readable passports are the most common requirements. The code for automatic character reading displayed above must be on the first page of your passport.

Over the years, the way passports are produced has changed. Passports where the first pages are handwritten still exist, but they are being phased out due to security concerns.

Increasingly in the 1990s, machine readable passports were introduced. This information is also coded in two bands at the bottom of the page. This speeds up encoding at most passport control stations by eliminating the need for officers to enter information manually into computers.

Most countries have biometric passports in place - containing an electronic chip that contains (depends on the issuing country) an electronic record of passport data, photo and / or fingerprints. Basically, an RFID station emits a signal, and the RFID chip responds to some or all of its data. This system allows customs and immigration to identify you faster and better.

These chips can also be read by others; the equipment generally has a range of about one meter and is moderately priced, widely available and easy to conceal. This creates several security issues:

  • followed by intrusive governments.
  • followed by merchants or scammers who target certain nationals.
  • identity theft where the thief can collect all the information on your passport.

If you are concerned, you can:

  • ask the passport issuer about RFID security measures. Some passports, for example passports swiss, do not respond to all signals when closed.
  • research the Internet to understand the issues.
  • choose to use a passport wallet that confines RFID signals until you voluntarily withdraw your passport for inspection by authorized officials. These wallets are available at a moderate cost from good travel accessory stores.

Loss and theft

Some people have experienced the nightmare of losing their passport. If this happens, take a deep breath and contact your embassy or consulate and immediately begin the replacement process. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to get a new passport in a foreign country, depending on your citizenship and location.

Some countries offer "emergency passports" or "emergency travel documents" if you can convince them that you cannot wait the normal time. These documents are generally valid for a very short period of time and are generally only valid for travel from the country where you are to your country. However, some may have a more extended validity. These documents take much less time to obtain than a regular passport and are often issued in just a few hours. The process can be speeded up by having a copy of the original. A police report is useful and may even be required by your embassy / consulate, even if the passport has not been stolen. Don't forget to bring some passport photos.

Make copies

Seasoned travelers often carry several photocopies of their passports and other important documents abroad such as visas. You should keep copies in places other than the original, for example, folded in your wallet, in your luggage, or scanned into a computer.

This is especially useful when traveling to areas where the risk of loss or theft is high. Without an original, a copy could save you from trouble with local authorities by quickly showing them something that indicates you're cleared to be there ... before they arrest you.

Copies can also make obtaining a replacement passport easier to obtain from your embassy or consulate as well. You should also have a copy of any entry visa required to enter a country.

Use your original passport when required by authorities, for example, check-in for a flight, at immigration when entering another country, for cruise ship boarding processing.

If while traveling, for example at your hotel, a copy and an official photo ID can be substituted for the passport.

During a cruise, and unless the ship's staff indicate that passports are required for a port visit, leave them safely in your cabin and take the copies and your ID card.

Copies are best in color at least for the main page (s). Two adjacent pages of two passports can often fit on a single sheet of A4 paper.

Entrust to a third party

In some countries, such as Chinait may be necessary for your long term stay or to be registered with the local police. It is advisable to give your passport to a trusted agent if you do not do so in person.

Some countries require hotels to keep a photocopy of your passport. If you do not trust the hotel staff, if the staff must leave the hotel premises to make a copy, you can provide your own copy. In any case, you should never leave your passport as collateral under any circumstances, except those required by law.

Expiration date

In practice, the last date on which you can use a passport is well before the expiration date. When you start international travel, most transport companies (eg airlines, cruise lines) will generally require that your passport is still valid for six months before it expires. They make sure that your passport meets the immigration control requirements of the countries you will be visiting. These requirements assure the authorities of the country visited that your passport remains valid for the duration of the maximum authorized stay, which is often 3 months. Exceeding the expiry date of the passport or the maximum authorized stay may in some cases have serious consequences.

If your passport upon boarding or entering a foreign country does not have enough time before the expiration date, you may be refused.

Passports from several countries (Australia, the majority of EU countries, United States) remain valid for 10 years, others only five years as in Belgium. For some countries, such as Canada, it depends on the type of passport; old passports are only valid for five years, but newer RFIDs are valid for ten years. In many countries the period of validity depends on age, adults get ten-year passports, children five. Newborns sometimes have passports with a validity reduced in time to two years.

When renewing a passport, apply in time, depending on your country of origin. It can take a day to four months (or more) to issue a new passport.

Other restrictions

Citizens of many countries may not have the legal or constitutional rights to be issued a passport by their country. This means that the citizen may be required to surrender his passport to local authorities as in the event that they are subject to a judicial investigation. In addition, some passports issued by certain countries may expire earlier than usual, which may indicate that the holder has almost reached the age required for military service.

In some cases, countries with bad or no diplomatic relations with another country may deny entry to passport holders from the other country or to those who simply have an entry stamp from that other country. .

Israel

Passport holders israelis and sometimes those who just have an entry or exit stamp from Israeli territory on their passport will face entry restrictions and possibly be denied entry to many Arab or Muslim countries. Likewise, entry into Israel with a passport from an Arab or Muslim state (or entry or exit stamp from one of them) may result in longer checks and sometimes entry may be refused. . Travelers to Israel can ask immigration officials not to stamp their passport, but place the stamp on a separate sheet of paper. This procedure is at the discretion of the immigration officer. Beware, however, that if you cross the border by road from theEgypt or the Jordan to Israel, the exit stamps from these countries could also lead to the refusal of entry into the territory of certain Arab or Muslim countries.

Multiple citizenship

In many countries, you are required by law to use the passport used to enter the country to exit. This can cause practical difficulties, such as being charged with time overruns, if you don't.

In some countries, such asAustralia , the'South Africa and to United States, you are legally required to use that country's passport to enter and leave the country if you are a citizen of that country.

Some countries do not recognize multiple citizenship, so being found in possession of a passport from more than one country can cause you legal problems. Sanctions can include loss of the nationality of the country in which you are. You should also make sure that you enter the country with the passport of that country at the risk of being accused of having entered illegally.

Multiple citizenship does not exempt you from legal responsibilities once inside one of the countries of your nationality. Consular assistance from one of your other countries is very unlikely to provide assistance when you need help.

Exit visa

Some countries, especially in the former Soviet Union, require their citizens' passports to have an exit visa for it to be valid for international travel. The Russia removed this requirement, but some other CIS countries keep it. The citizens Uzbek, for example, always require the exit visa. The exit visa is normally valid for a short period, in connection with the passport - 2 years for Uzbekistan. Traveling with a passport that has an expired exit visa is normally not a problem outside the CIS. However, a citizen of a CIS country who requires it will have problems leaving another CIS state. For example, a citizen of Uzbekistan with an expired exit stamp traveling to Russia will not be able to leave Russia to re-enter Uzbekistan.

Examples of covers

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