A passport is an official document issued by a specific country's government. It certifies the identity, gender, date of birth and nationality of its holder.
On June 1, 2009, the United States issued new passport rules. The new passport rule requires citizens to show their passport at the Canadian and Mexican borders. If travelers fail to provide the required document, they will be subject to a background check and will be issued a warning before they are allowed into the U.S.FOXNews.com: Passports Mandatory at Mexico, Canada Border (June 1, 2009)
Types of Passport
- Ordinary passport –issued to citizens
- Service passport – issued to government employees and dependents for work-related travel
- Diplomatic passport – issued to diplomats and consuls for work-related travel
- Temporary passport – issued if a person's passport has been lost or stolen if there is no time to issue a replacement passport
- Collective passport – issued to groups traveling together such as on a school trip
- Family passport – issued for a family traveling together
- Laissez-passer – an official document that serves as a passport for international organizations to their employees
- Alien's passport – a travel document issued for non-citizen residents
- Internal passport – a document which keeps track of migration within the issuing country
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References
Fast Facts
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Origin
Earliest reference to a passport can be found in a 450 B.C. version of the biblical book of Nehemiah
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Standards
Passport standards are recommended to national governments by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
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Government Property
Passports are government property and may be revoked at any time
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UK Travel
Citizens of the UK and Ireland do not require a passport to travel between the two countries
