Not all passports look the same. Some are green, some are blue, some are burgundy, and some are black. If you’ve ever wondered why that is, you’re going to want to read this.
Last week we featured a story on the relative power of different passports around the world. We found out that German passport holders had the best passport in the world when it comes to the amount of countries Germans can visit visa-free.
This week we want to get all superficial on you and discuss why different nations choose the colours they choose for their passports.
Different countries select different colours and designs for a number of reasons (click here for a look at the different passport designs around the world).
And some have better designs than others – for example, Norway’s passport is about as beautiful as its landscape!
In the EU, for example, member states use burgundy-coloured passports, but each country is able to determine its own shade of burgundy. Interestingly, the general consensus amongst the member states to adopt burgundy as the EU passport colour didn’t come easy.
In fact, it took the European Community years to adopt the colour they now have, which the British believed to have been heavily influenced by the French!
However, not all EU-member states have gone burgundy with their passports. Croatia is an exception, preferring a blue cover instead.
Other countries have chosen colours that are representative of their national symbols. For example, the Swiss passport is bright red, like their flag, and many Islamic countries make their passports green or black – which features in many of their flags.
In the past, Communist nations or nations that were formerly under the Communist regime used red-coloured passports.
Practicality may also determine which colours are used to represent a country. According to Bill Waldron of Holliston, a Tennessee-based firm that prints documents for 63 of the world’s passport-issuing countries, nations may choose darker colours as they show less dirt, heighten the contrast with the crest, and just look more official.
