To obtain an official passport or a red passport, an individual must complete form DS-11 or DS-82, provided by the State Department. A birth certificate or an old passport, along with two standard passport photos are also necessary, as well as a memo that authorizes the applicant to hold a red passport.
China issues a red diplomatic passport to the government official traveling abroad. In this case, it is believed that red represents the communist government. But, China's public passport for the general population has a black cover.
A diplomatic passport is issued to a diplomat or an official travelling overseas for government duties. In this, individuals receive “Type D” passports that come in a maroon cover. It is different from a normal passport with a dark blue cover and applicable for ordinary citizens (including VIP residents).
Can I use this passport to travel? Answer: Your no-fee passport can only be used when traveling overseas in discharge of your official duties. For personal travel, you must to use a regular-fee tourist passport.
It's hard to take a flattering picture (unless you're Prince), you can't choose which inspiration quotes frame your stamped pages, and you can't choose the color of your passport cover. To that last point, Business Insider recently explained why passports only come in shades of red, blue, green, and black.
Japan has the world's most powerful passport - providing hassle-free entry to 193 countries. Just one country short, Singapore and South Korea are tied in second place, according to the latest Henley Passport Index from Henley & Partners, an immigration consultancy.
All passports are one of four sombre shades—red, blue, black or green. And while there are variations (for example, Switzerland's is scarlet and Canada uses white for temporary travel documents), there are no other colors despite there being no legal requirement for picking one of these four.
Passport Types
Regular passport (of maroon color) Special passport (green) Diplomatic passport (black) Service passport (grey)
A red passport is only issued to people who are at least 18 years of age. The State Department will issue minor children traveling with red passport holders a no-fee blue passport.
Black is the rarest colour when it comes to passports. Some African countries, including Botswana, Zambia, Burundi, Gabon, Angola, Chad, Congo, Malawi all issue a black passport. Citizens of New Zealand also have a black passport – because it's the country's national colour.
Those with a diplomatic passport are granted legal immunity from lawsuit or prosecution. There are still limitations to this immunity. A foreign diplomat is exempt from the law to a certain extent, and at the discretion of their host country.
A diplomatic passport can only be obtained through a diplomatic brokerage or by getting a foreign service government job.
Diplomatic passports are not sold. They are available for select individuals. We offer the guidance, care and legal advice to obtain these documents.
Japan and Singapore have the world's most powerful passports, according to the Henley Passport Index. Holders of these passports are able to enter 192 countries without a visa. South Korea and Germany followed next, with visa-free travel to 190 jurisdictions.
The red passport
Citizens of Slovenia, China, Serbia, Russia, Latvia, Romania, Poland and Georgia have red passports. Countries wishing to join the European Union such as Turkey, Macedonia and Albania have also started adopting red passports a few years back.
TYPES OF PASSPORT
The Indian government issues three types of passports to Indian citizens.
The colors of passports do not give any meaning to their strength. For example, both the US passport colors and Syria passport colors have a blue color. However, the Syrian passport is currently recognized as one of the weakest passports. There are many different factors to consider when choosing passport colors.
White passports are issued to individuals representing the Indian government in official business. The application process for an official passport is different from that of the regular blue passport. While passport holders also get some special powers in addition to the regular rules and regulations.
The diplomatic passport is issued in maroon colour and is also known as a Type D passport. This part is specifically issued to the reserved people who work in Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS) departments.
Is my red passport still valid? Unless your British Passport is due for a renewal, you do not need to apply for a new one. Many have decided to renew in order to get the new blue passport, but this is not necessary. Your burgundy passport is still valid for travel until its listed expiry date.
It's often assumed that passport covers can only be made in shades of blue, black, green, and red. And, generally speaking, it's pretty much true that countries opt for these dark, official-looking hues. But it turns out that there's no official regulation forcing these countries to select primary colors.
Citizens of nations with a communist history like Slovenia, Serbia, Latvia, Romania, China, Russia, Poland, and Georgia have red passports. Countries interested in joining the EU, including Turkey, Macedonia, and Albania, also changed their passports to red a few years ago.
An Afghan passport has once again been labelled by the index as the least powerful passport in the world, with its nationals only able to visit 26 destinations visa-free.
The most difficult countries to obtain citizenship include Vatican City, Liechtenstein, Bhutan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Switzerland, China, and North Korea. If you have ever submitted an application for citizenship, you will know just how difficult the process can be.
French nationality remained the best in the world according to the 2018 edition of the Quality of Nationality Index, earning a score of 83.5% out of a possible 100%, fractionally ahead of Germany and the Netherlands.