History of Passport in Timeline

A passport is an official document issued by a government to verify a person's identity and nationality for international travel. It allows the holder to enter and reside temporarily in a foreign country, obtain consular assistance, and access protection from their government. Passports are vital for border security, migration regulation, and sometimes serve as domestic identification.

1914: British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act passed

In 1914, the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act was passed, which clearly defined citizenship and created a booklet form of the passport.

1920: League of Nations recommends French language on passports

In 1920, an international conference on passports and through tickets held by the League of Nations recommended passports be issued in French, historically the language of diplomacy, and one other language.

1920: League of Nations conference on passports

In 1920, the League of Nations convened the Paris Conference on Passports & Customs Formalities and Through Tickets, resulting in passport guidelines and a general booklet design.

1920: Modern passport universally adopted and standardized

In 1920, the modern passport was universally adopted and standardized, taking the form of a booklet containing the holder's biographical information and the issuing government's official name and emblem.

1922: Issuance of Nansen passports begins

From 1922, the League of Nations began issuing Nansen passports to stateless refugees, allowing them international travel.

1926: Follow-up conference on passports

In 1926, a follow-up conference on passports occurred, continuing the work of standardization that began in 1920.

1927: Follow-up conference on passports

In 1927, a follow-up conference on passports occurred, continuing the work of standardization that began in 1920 and 1926.

1938: Issuance of Nansen passports ends

In 1938, the League of Nations ended the issuance of Nansen passports to stateless refugees. These passports had been in use since 1922.

1963: United Nations travel conference

In 1963, the United Nations held a travel conference, though it did not result in specific passport guidelines.

1980: Passport standardization under ICAO

Passport standardization came about in 1980 under the auspices of the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). ICAO standards include machine-readable passports with alphanumeric characters for optical character recognition.

1997: Permanent residents not granted Chinese nationality

In 1997, permanent residents of Indian, Pakistani and Nepali ethnicity were not granted Chinese nationality.

1998: Transition to biometric passports

Since 1998, many countries have transitioned to biometric passports. These passports contain an embedded microchip designed to facilitate authentication and safeguard against counterfeiting.

2006: Serbian passport among the most improved globally

Since 2006, the Serbian passport is one of the 5 passports with the most improved rating globally in terms of the number of countries that its holders may visit without a visa.

July 2011: China trial issuance of e-passports for public affairs workers

On 1 July 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China began a trial issuance of e-passports for individuals conducting public affairs work overseas on behalf of the Chinese government. These included digitized biometrics stored on a contactless smart chip.

May 2012: Ordinary biometric passports introduced in China

On 15 May 2012, the Ministry of Public Security introduced ordinary biometric passports for Chinese citizens.

2012: Over 38 million Chinese citizens held ordinary passports

In 2012, over 38 million Chinese citizens held ordinary passports, comprising only 2.86 percent of the total population at the time.

2014: China issued 16 million passports, ranking first in the world

In 2014, China issued 16 million passports, ranking first in the world, surpassing the United States (14 million) and India (10 million).

January 2015: China issues only biometric passports

As of January 2015, all new passports issued by China are biometric e-passports. Non-biometric passports are no longer issued.

November 2015: New Zealand Passport validity extended to ten years

After 30 November 2015, the New Zealand passport followed the increasing trend for adult passports to be valid for ten years.

October 2016: 120 million ordinary passports in circulation in China

By October 2016, the number of ordinary passports in circulation in China rose to 120 million, approximately 8.7 percent of the population.

2016: Danish passport ranked first globally by World Tourism Organization

According to the World Tourism Organization's 2016 report, the Danish passport ranked first in the world (tied with Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Singapore, and the United Kingdom) in terms of travel freedom, with a mobility index of 160.

April 2017: China issues over 100 million biometric ordinary passports

As of April 2017, China had issued over 100 million biometric ordinary passports.

April 2017: Eastern Libya bans nationals of certain countries

Since April 2017, nationals of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and Iran have been banned from entering the parts of eastern Libya under the control of the Tobruk government.

September 2017: US restrictions on visas for nationals of certain countries

Beginning in September 2017, the United States did not issue new visas to nationals of Iran, North Korea, Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen due to restrictions imposed by the Trump administration.

January 2021: Biden administration repeals visa restrictions

On 20 January 2021, the Biden administration repealed the restrictions imposed by the Trump administration that had prevented the United States from issuing new visas to nationals of Iran, North Korea, Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen. The restrictions had been in place since September 2017.

January 2021: Restrictions on BN(O) passports in Hong Kong and China

Until 31 January 2021, British National (Overseas) passports could be used by holders for immigration clearance in Hong Kong. Since January 2021, the Chinese and Hong Kong governments have prohibited the use of BN(O) passports as travel documents or proof of identity.

September 2022: Danish passport ranked fifth globally by Henley Passport Index

As of 21 September 2022, the Danish passport ranked fifth in the world, tied with the passports of Austria, the Netherlands, and Sweden, according to the Henley Passport Index, granting visa-free or visa on arrival access to 188 countries and territories.

August 2023: Serbian passport ranked 38th globally by Henley Passport Index

As of August 2023, the Serbian passport ranked 38th overall in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index, with visa-free or visa on arrival access to 138 countries and territories.

2023: Singaporean passport strongest in the world

As of 2023, the strongest passport in the world is the Singaporean passport, based on its mobility score, which measures the number of countries accessible for tourism without a traditional visa.

July 2024: E-passports issued in over 150 jurisdictions

As of July 2024, over 150 jurisdictions issue biometric passports, also known as "e-passports". Previously issued non-biometric passports generally remain valid until their expiration date.