Here are the 12 coolest passports from around the world.
1) Norway: UV light shows the northern lights
There are three different colours for the new Norwegian passport: normal is red, diplomatic is green, and immigrant is white. Neue Design Studio took the picture.
Norway’s brand-new passport hasn’t even been released yet, but it’s already been in the news. “Norwegian landscapes” is the name of the award-winning design. It may look simple, but there are some interesting features hidden inside.
The simple scenery turns into a charming night scene when exposed to UV light, complete with the Northern Lights. This is a great way to use UV technology, and it gives Norway’s passport a magical touch.
2) Finland — passport turns into a flipbook
The pages of Finland’s passport are what make it one of the coolest in the world, even though it looks plain at first glance. People from that country became known for turning their papers into flipbooks. You’ll see a swan flying when the pages are turned. It’s a secret security function.
The passport pages in the older version have a picture of a moose walking (or galloping) away.
3) Canada — dazzling displays appear under UV light
At first glance, the Canadian passport looks like any other ticket. The coat of arms of the country is on the outside of the cover. Every visa page has pictures of Canada’s landmarks, historical people, and natural wonders on the inside.
But when you shine UV light on the pages, that’s when the real surprise starts. The dull-colored features change right away into a dramatic iridescence scene. It’s a beautiful storm of colours that also works as smart anti-fraud technology. This passport is not only one of the coolest in the world, but it might also be the most colourful!
Queen Elizabeth II is the only person in the world who can travel without a passport.
4) Indonesia — a visual guide of local natural wonders
The Komodo dragon and the crater lakes of Mt. Kelimutu can be seen on the Indonesian visa. Dewi Arna took the picture.
Most passports have pictures of landmarks or skylines, but Indonesia chose something a little different. When you open their passport, you’ll see bright pictures of the country’s wildlife, natural beauty, and rich cultural history.
They have a passport that has a lot of different pages. The Komodo dragon, which only lives in eastern Indonesia, the crater lakes of Mt. Kelimutu, and the Javanese wayang doll are a few examples.
Indonesia not only has beautiful plants and animals, but it also has some of the most beautiful scenery. Find out more by reading our tips and plans for Indonesia.
5) China — more iconic landmarks show up under UV light
China’s tourism office is proud of its passport, which is like a travel guide. Or so it seems. Each visa page has a different attraction from each of the 34 provinces and towns.
You can go to the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Terracotta Army in Shaanxi, and the Coconut Grove on Hainan Island by flipping through your passport. There is also Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour and Macau’s Sai Van Bridge.
Even more interesting is the fact that Taiwan and Sun Moon Lake are on the list.
When you turn on the UV lights, though, things change completely. A second landmark appears on top of the first one! The Pagoda Hill shows up above the Terracotta Army in Shaanxi. At the same time, the desserts of Xinjiang are more interesting than the Silk Road.
6) New Zealand — has one of the world’s rarest passport colours
There is no doubt that New Zealand’s passport is one of the nicest-looking in the world. For starters, it’s black, which is one of the rarest colours for a passport (only seven countries have black covers, according to Wikipedia). Still, black is New Zealand’s national colour, so it makes sense to use it.
Besides being a cool colour, the black cover has silver ferns on it, which makes for a striking contrast.
Another interesting thing about the New Zealand passport is that it is mostly about travel and direction. They have pictures of the tools that settlers of New Zealand used to find their way. For instance, the picture above shows an astrolabe, which is a complicated manual tool used by sailors to find their altitude.
In every country in the world, passports come in different shades of red, blue, green, and black. There are no rules about what colour passports should be, but most countries choose these four because they look official.
7) The Philippines — iconic landmarks with lyrics to the national anthem
If you’re a tourist in the Philippines, your passport is like a map that shows you all the interesting places to see. The Chocolate Hills of Bohol, the Mayon Volcano, and the Underground River of Peurto Princesa, Palawan are all well-known places to visit.
But wait, there’s more! The passport can also be used as a secret book of songs. If you can read Tagalog, you’ll see that every page has a sentence that goes with the national song.
8) Australia — ‘floating’ and ‘sinking’ kangaroos
The passports of Australia are the first in the world to have Colour Floating Security technology built in. Lasers are used in this very new technology to make pictures in the laminate of the data page. This makes it harder for thieves to fake.
It will show red and blue kangaroos “floating” and “sinking” if you hold the passport at different angles.
9) Switzerland — unconventional cover and naturally colourful pages
Swiss passports are often called some of the coolest passports out there. If you’ve ever seen one, you’ll understand why.
When compared to other passport covers, this one looks modern and simple because the Swiss cross and words are placed off-center. Next, the cover is filled with small Swiss crosses that have been raised, which makes it feel nice to touch.
The last thing is that the visa pages are written in bright, vivid colours. At the corners of each page is a well-known location from a different Swiss canton.
10) Lebanon — sun and moon move across pages
Photo credit: u/cookacka via Reddit
The old and new passports for Lebanon (on the left). GraphicShop took the picture.
Lebanon’s cards got a new look in 2016. In a sea of papers that all look the same, the new cover’s simple design stands out. But what really stands out are the features that were specially created for the passport.
There are pictures of places to visit on the ticket pages, like the Baalbek, Byblos Castle, Jeita Grotto, and Rock of Raouche. There is also a sun rising in the east (first page) and setting in the west (last page) as you turn the pages.
Need a scene at night? Put out some UV light! The pages become dark, and you can see the moon’s progress and phases backwards.
A fun fact is that the passports of some Arabic countries are opened from the left. They write their languages from right to left, so this is the case.
11) Hungary — reveals music scoresheet under UV light
As a way to stop fraud, many countries have holographic pictures hidden in their passports. Some well-known places were hidden in Norway and China. Canada’s passport is a bright work of art that changes when exposed to UV light. Hungary, on the other hand, took it a step further and put a whole music piece on its passport.
You can see the music score for the Hungarian national anthem Szózat when you shine UV light on it. It goes without saying that using papers to show pride in one’s national culture is a brilliant idea.
12) Japan — features designs by a famous artist
Japan made brand-new passports in 2020 that had art from the Edo period by ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai on them. There are 24 drawings from the “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” series on each double-page spread.
People say that the complicated ukiyo-e art makes it hard to fake passports. There is also the goal of spreading Japanese culture before the Summer Olympics, which is met by the designs.
If you’re in Japan and want to find the best place to take pictures of Mount Fuji, ask a Japanese person for their passport.
