What Does Your Passport Color Mean, Anyway?

Passport look and color isn’t exactly something that folks brag about!

Passport users can’t specify the text surrounding their likeness, the aesthetic for the stamped pages, the cover color, etc…  

But do the colors have any significance, at all?

The documents famously come in shades of red, green, blue, and black. To the surprise of many curious travelers, the color of your passport does not follow a strict system of country by country regulation—however, the colors are not totally random!

Red Passports
Red passport covers are used by members of the European Union (with the exception being Croatia). In a sort of branding attempt, countries interested in obtaining EU membership have followed suit. In one region that is known for collective (past) interests in EU participation, including Colombia and Peru, red passports are standard.

FUN FACT: The Swiss passport cover matches their flag!

Blue Passports
Caribbean states/territories typically use blue for their passports, although it’s common in other far reaches of the globe, too. Brazil and Argentina, for example, all boast blue passports.

FUN FACT: The United States’ passport only became navy blue in 1976 to match the shade of the American Flag’s star-spangled upper-left corner.

Green Passports
Most Islamic states of the middle east use green passport covers because of the importance of the color in their religion, flag, etc…Other nations that utilize the color scheme include West African States like Niger and Senegal.

Black Passports
There’s another far more practical interpretation for selecting passport colors, for certain territories, that is. Dark colors tend to show less dirt and as a result, tend to look more official/legitimate. Examples include Zambia, and New Zealand!

FUN FACT: The U.S. passport is about to see some radical changes, and while the design has yet to be released to the American public, we know that this country has a history of changing its passport cover, again and again!

Finally, be sure to message us at ePassportPhoto to get quick guidance from our representatives!