Passports are required even for space travel (still from the film "The Fifth Element")
1. Northern lights on Scandinavian passports
Scandinavians never travel without their northern lights in their pocket. If you place a passport from one of the Scandinavian countries under an ultraviolet lamp, you can see an iridescent glow on the paper, resembling a rainbow.
2. The first passport – from the Bible
The mention of passports in the Bible is not a sign of their divine origin, but rather a hint that the idea had long been in the air. In the Book of Nehemiah, the Persian king Artaxerxes I (5th century BC) gives his envoy a letter of introduction that would ensure him safe passage through Judea.
3. Photos in passports were not always required
The requirement for a photo in a passport appeared with the start of World War I – after a spy working for Germany entered Britain with a fake passport.
4. Lost weight? Get a new passport
Staged photos and funny selfies are fine to share with friends, but at the passport office, they won't appreciate your creativity. In the US, you will be required to change your passport photo if you have noticeably gained or lost weight, had facial plastic surgery, added or removed large facial tattoos or piercings.
5. Family photo in a passport
It used to be simpler: you just had to choose your most flattering photo. In the early years after the introduction of passport photos, you could submit any portrait you liked. Even family photos were accepted.
6. The "six months before expiry" rule
Don't put off applying for a passport – bureaucratic delays can mess up all your plans. It is extremely important to remember the validity of your passport, and here it's better not to gamble with fate.
Some countries, including most European ones, require that your passport remain valid for 90 days after the date of entry. But to be safe, it's better to get a new passport six months before the old one expires (this is the lead time required by Russia, China, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and some other countries). This is necessary to avoid getting stuck in these countries without the ability to return home.
7. Entering Australia via Queensland
You don't need a passport to enter Australia via Queensland – but only if you are a resident of one of the nine coastal villages in Papua New Guinea that have special status. There is a special agreement that allows their residents to enter Australia without passports – it was reached when Papua New Guinea gained independence.
8. No passport control in Vatican City
There is no immigration control in Vatican City, but the Pope has Vatican passport No. 1.
9. Many Americans don't have passports at all
Not all Americans like to travel abroad. According to the US State Department, for 321,362,789 US citizens, there are 121,512,341 passports – meaning about two-thirds of Americans do just fine without this document.
10. Tonga sold passports
The state of Tonga at one time sold passports for $20,000 each. The late king of this Polynesian sovereign state, Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, reportedly sold Tongan passports to non-citizens in an attempt to replenish the state treasury.
11. "Moving pictures" in a passport
If you're bored at the airport and have a Finnish or Slovenian passport, you can have a bit of fun. Quickly flip through the pages of the passport forward, and the images at the bottom of the pages will create a moving picture.
12. The most unforgeable passport
The Nicaraguan passport has 89 different security features, including holograms and watermarks. Therefore, it is considered the most difficult document to forge in the world.
13. The Queen of the UK has no passport
Some people don't need passports. For example, Queen Elizabeth II does not need to worry about getting a passport – since she is the only one who authorizes the issuance of passports to other citizens, she does not need one herself.
Nevertheless, her secret documents sent abroad still require passports. Royal couriers – the people responsible for delivering these secret documents around the world – and these documents, like the messengers delivering them, receive their own passport. Presumably, there are only about 15 such passports.