Passport

:This article is about the international travel document. For Microsoft Corporation's "universal login" service, see Microsoft Passport Network.

Government restrictions and special cases

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 does not recognise another territory's administration as a sovereign state. Some countries also decline to accept passports that do not afford the bearer the right to live in the issuing country.

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Most countries make it a policy not to accept passports issued by authorities they do not recognise as states. The usual one-off exceptions are persons involved in negotiation between authorities (analogous to diplomatic talks) and those offering humanitarian relief. Standing exceptions include passports issued by the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions of China (See below). In Brazil, citizens of such countries must apply for a Brazilian laissez-passer, a type of travel document usually allowing only a single entry into the issuing country.

Related Topics:
Special Administrative Region - Brazil

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In most countries, the passport (sometimes including counterfeit ones) is state property which may be withdrawn at any time. In some countries the executive authorities may declare a passport void, although such cases may be subject to judicial review. judicial decision may be needed for other countries. For instance, typically, a person on bail must temporarily surrender his passport while awaiting trial if he poses a flight risk.

Related Topics:
Executive authorities - Judicial review - Judicial - Bail - Trial

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Some countries impose particular political and ideological requirements or prohibitions on passport applicants, issuing passports, and perhaps exit-visas, only to those who meet those requirements.

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Micronations

Some countries decline to accept Tongan Protected Person passports, though they do accept standard passports issued to Tongan citizens.

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Many micronations, such as Sealand, issue passports and other citizenship documents. With the possible exception of passports issued by the World Service Authority, no UN member country recognises these documents as valid for transfer or entry, though many micronations continue to issue them.

Related Topics:
Micronation - Sealand - World Service Authority

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China

Both Hong Kong and Macau are special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the auspices of the Basic Laws, they are vested with rights to issue passports, to contract agreements to abolish visa requirements with other countries and to exercise immigration control on foreign nationals, all on their own. Passports issued by the respective authorities state that the bearer is a Chinese national with a right of abode in the issuing SAR. The National People's Congress has also delegated powers to Hong Kong and Macau to administer China's nationality laws in their respective realms.

Related Topics:
Hong Kong - Macau - People's Republic of China - Nationality law

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The PRC does not recognise Taiwan's administration as a sovereign state, but considers the island as part of China. Despite presence of mutual immigration control, neither side of the Taiwan Strait considers travelling to and from the mainland and Taiwan international.

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Taiwan residents entering Mainland China use a special permit issued by mainland public security authorities and usually collect this permit in Hong Kong or Macau. On the other hand, Taiwan's administration once required residents who go to the mainland to obtain official approval beforehand and would fine those who did not. However, often unable to ascertain if someone has broken this rule, the authorities practically could not enforce the requirement except on those who have lost their travel documents in the mainland. It has been outright abolished except for officials of the administration.

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At a port of entry in Taiwan, there is a conspicuous facility where mainland residents must surrender their passports and other travel documents issued by mainland authorities. On the other hand, Taiwan residents keep their identity documents issued by Taiwan while in the mainland.

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As Hong Kong is a part of the People's Republic of China, travelling to and from Hong Kong and the mainland is not considered international travel. The Public Security Bureau of the Guangdong province issues a special permit (dubbed Home Return Permit) for Hong Kong residents who are Chinese nationals to enter and exit the mainland. Although it has been proposed that the HKSAR passport should supplant this permit, the proposal is dismissed.

Related Topics:
Guangdong - Home Return Permit - HKSAR passport

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Although many ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong hold British National (Overseas) and British citizen passports issued under the auspices of a programme instituted by UK in 1990, the PRC Government considers them its nationals, and does not recognise these passports they hold.

Related Topics:
Hong Kong - British National (Overseas) - British citizen

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Although a Hong Kong resident can use neither British National (Overseas) nor HKSAR passports in its own right for entering Taiwan, these passports must be used in conjunction with a special travel permit issued by Taiwan's administration. First-time travellers must apply beforehand but most other travellers can collect this permit upon arrival, subject to certain restrictions.

Related Topics:
British National (Overseas) - HKSAR - Taiwan's administration

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On the other hand, Taiwan residents travelling to Hong Kong apply for entry permits and collect them at specified airlines. Repeated travellers satisfying certain conditions may apply online.

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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).

Related Topics:
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - Turkey - Republic of Cyprus - Yugoslavia

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Israel

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 traveller may be denied entry to certain countries because of the presence of an Egyptian exit stamp indicating the person left Egypt at Taba, at the Israeli border. 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 the passport's function is compromised.

Related Topics:
Muslim - Israel - Egypt - Jordan - Taba

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Muslim countries not accepting Israeli passports are:

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• Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Comoros, Djibouti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia (except with written permission from the Malaysian government), Oman, Maldives, Pakistan (unless the person is a Pakistani expatriate), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates (sources conflict over whether or not passports with Israeli stamps are accepted), Yemen.

Korea

Exiting from the region under Republic of Korea's administration (commonly known as South Korea) directly to the North is not international travel from the South's point of view. The Republic of Korea's constitution considers the North as part of its territory, although under different administration. In other words, the South does not view going to and fro as breaking the continuity of a person's stay, as long as the traveller does not land on a third territory.

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The privilege of a passport in North Korea is limited to a select few. Membership of the Korean Workers' Party is essentially a requisite.

Related Topics:
North Korea - Korean Workers' Party

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Pakistan

Pakistan imposes a requirement on its Muslim citizens when they apply for a passport, requiring them to agree to the following:

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• I am a Muslim and believe in the absolute and unqualified finality of the Prophethood 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.

With the issuance of the new biometric passport in 2005 (in which the religion column was to be deleted), the above declaration would have been made unnecessary. However, this decision was recently reversed by the Pakistan Government on religious parties' resistance. After much debate, the column has come back. New passports will carry religion columns; passports already printed will bear a rubber stamp mark declaring a person's religion.

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(source)

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Spain and Gibraltar

The Government of Spain has had a policy of not accepting British passports issued in Gibraltar, on the grounds that the territory's government is not a competent authority for issuing such documents. Consequently some Gibraltarians have been refused entry to Spain when travelling on these documents. However, the word "Gibraltar" now appears beneath the words "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", as appears in passports of other British colonies and dependencies.

Related Topics:
Spain - Gibraltar

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United States

Prominent people with left-wing views, such as Paul Robeson, were once prevented from travelling abroad by this method by the U.S. government. W.E.B. Du Bois, founder of NAACP, was falsely labelled as pro-Communist and denied passport (he renounced U.S. citizenship afterwards). 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. Even so the Department of State still has the right to screen people before issuing a passport and to revoke a passport.

Related Topics:
Paul Robeson - W.E.B. Du Bois - NAACP - Communist - U.S. Supreme Court - 1958 - Kent v. Dulles

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At various times, US passports have been issued with a list of countries or regions to which the holder is forbidden to travel. These countries have previously included Albania, Cuba, People's Republic of China, Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Vietnam. In 1957 China protested their inclusion in this list and successfully campaigned for its removal. Because of U.S. treasury restrictions on U.S. citizens who visit Cuba, that country will similarly not stamp a passport, if requested.

Related Topics:
Albania - Cuba - People's Republic of China - Iran - Iraq - North Korea - Vietnam

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