Do You Know That the Colour of Your Passport Represents Something?

Last Updated on 2023-03-10 , 3:56 pm

Okay, this might be a very trivia question, just like why are the skies blue or why are the rain clouds dark, but we just have to ask this: Do you know why our passport is red?

Or why other passports are of other colours?

Passports typically comes in four colours—red, green, blue and black. However, within each colour, there are many variations (e.g. dark blue, light blue). Though there are, of course, regulations governing certain passport features, countries are able to choose the colour and design of their passports.

Countries usually pick colours to reflect their national flag, religious beliefs or history.

So, what are the meanings behind the colours? Here are some reasons behind why some countries choose certain colours.

Black
Black passports are usually issued to diplomats or consuls. However, some countries adopt black passports for practical reasons as well. Black never looks dirty. Also, aesthetically, the dark shade of black brings out the country’s crests on the passport. Some countries with black passports include Malawi, India, Congo and Botswana.

Blue
The Caricom (Caribbean Community and Common Market) states all share a dark blue passport. These states include Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. The use of blue could be “symbolic of the New World”  in North and South America.

Green
Sometimes, colour is also chosen from familiar national symbols. Many Islamic nations have green passports. Green is a “symbol of nature and life” and is traditionally a colour of Islam. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are two Islamic countries whose citizens carry green passports as well. .

Burgundy
All countries in the European Union (except Croatia) carry burgundy passports. As a bloc of 28 member states, this carries with it a sense of identity as well as a right to free movement within the entire European Union.

Red
Singapore and Switzerland both carry bright red passports. This bright red is also found on their respective country flags! And just so you know, our close neighbour Malaysia is red as well.

And here’s an interesting tidbit: do you know that long ago, there used to be a special passport called “Singapore Restricted Passport”?

When Singapore was separated from Malaysia in 1965, there were still many close ties between the two nations (e.g. family members and relatives in two different countries), leading to the creation of this unique passport that is used purely for commute between West Malaysia and Singapore.

But eventually, this was no longer issued from 1999 onward. It’s not clear why it is in blue, although the passport when Singapore was a British colony was blue then.

Now, the next time you go to the airport, sneak a peek around you and observe. What passports do you see?

Take a guess on what their colours represent!

Now that you know more about our passports, watch this video to the end to know more about our NRIC: