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Everything You Need to Know About Passports
by Simone Pretere
http://www.fieldpassport.com
A passport is a formal identification document issued by a
national government that identifies the holder as a
national of a particular country. It requests permission,
in the name of issuing nation's government, for the bearer
to enter other countries. Passports provide the holder the
right of legal protection abroad. They typically contain
the holder's photograph, signature, nationality, and date
of birth. Numerous countries are developing biometric
properties for their passports in order to further confirm
the passport presenter as the legitimate holder. For
instance, the United States, as of October 2006, will
implant electronic identification chips in every passport
to concretely identify each bearer.
Usually necessary for international travel, passports
normally must be shown at a country's border, although some
countries have reciprocal agreements allowing their
citizens to enter with other identity documents, such as
the agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico.
As of December 2007, however, all travelers from the three
North American countries entering one of the other nations
will be required to show a passport.
Passports may be stamped or sealed with visas issued by the
host country that authorize entry for an extended period of
time. The front cover of all passports bear the full
official name of the issuing country, and often that
nation's coat of arms or another complex identifying
symbol. Passports follow a standardized format. They begin
with a cover identifying the issuing country followed by a
title page also naming the country. The next pages provide
information about the holder and the issuing authority.
After this page a number of blank pages follow, designated
for foreign countries to affix visas and/or stamp the
passport on entrance or exit. The issuing authority numbers
its passports. For instance, the standard U.S. passport has
24 pages.
If you are applying for a U. S. passport for the first time
you will need to fill out a complete application form and
prove citizenship with a birth certificate. You get your
picture taken twice with a light background taken within
the last six months and a fee is to be paid. You can apply
for a passport at the local Post Office and some drug
stores or pharmacies offer this service also.
Many travel restrictions have been placed of passport
bearers not allowing them to enter certain countries.
However, by the end of Feb. 2006, all passports will be
valid to enter all countries around the world except Cuba.
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