10 curiosities you did not know about your passport

The passport is one of the essential travel companions on any international trip. Knowing everything about the passport will save us unforeseen events and unnecessary troubles. Here we collect ten curiosities that are useful to know about our passport.

1. The oldest reference to a passport is in the Bible.

The Book of Nehemiah has the first reference to a document similar to a passport. It was around 450 BC when King Artaxerxes of Persia wrote a letter asking the rulers of the lands beyond the Euphrates to grant the bearer, Nehemiah, safe passage to Judah.

2. The word passport was used as such already in the 16th century.

However, it is not clear whether it refers to passing through seaports or through the gates in the walls.

3. The passport photo must be up-to-date and fully match the holder of the passport.

The passport photo has to meet a series of very specific requirements. If these requirements are not met, there may be problems in different countries as the document is not considered valid.

4. All the information in the passport must match the information on the ticket of the means of transport.

Especially on flights, the information on the plane ticket has to match exactly the same with the passport. Any discrepancy can cause problems such as preventing continuing the trip.

5. The passport document must not be damaged or torn.

A passport that has been scratched, torn, or soaked is also a potential problem. You also cannot have unauthorized drawings or writing on the document. These facts, in addition to making identification difficult, can lead to the retention of the document itself by the authorities until the identity of its bearer is verified.

6. The passport is not necessarily valid until the expiration date.

Many countries require that the passport be valid for up to six months after arrival in the country, which means that you can never travel until the expiration date. It is very important that the passport does not expire during the trip.

7. It is necessary to get a new passport if there have been appreciable physical changes in its holder.

Loss or gain of body weight, tattoos, piercings, even major hair changes (for example, going from having long hair to being completely bald) require a passport renewal.

8. Some countries may cause problems with the passport.

The Israeli stamp in the passport can lead to problems accessing Middle Eastern countries. For this reason, it is very important to know the diplomatic conflicts between countries to avoid unpleasant surprises such as the impediment of accessing certain countries due to the stamps collected in the passport.

9. You can have two passports.

Some countries allow you to have two passports. This in practice facilitates obtaining visas and access to specific countries that pose difficulties depending on the country stamps that appear in passports.

10. The size of the passport can be expanded.

In most countries, passports are around 30 pages long, with 24 pages for a visa. In the event that due to professional activity you need more space, some countries allow the issuance of passports with a larger size, reaching 80 pages.