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Passports · 156 covers

Passport Covers of the World

Every passport cover we have, side by side. Most of the world's passports are red & burgundy — burgundy across the European Union, green in many Muslim-majority and West African countries, blue in much of the Americas and black in a handful of countries. Click a passport to open the country.

79
Red & burgundy passports
39
Blue passports
27
Green passports
11
Black & dark passports

Passport cover images: Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata (licences on the original file pages).

Why passports come in four colours

There is no international rule for passport colours — the ICAO only standardises the size, the machine-readable page and the chip. Still, almost every country picks one of four shades. Red & burgundy (79 covers) dominates thanks to the European Union and countries such as Albania, Andorra, Anguilla, Austria, Bahrain and Belgium. Blue (39) is typical of the Americas, including Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada. Green (27) is used by Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, and black or very dark covers (11) by Angola, Cameroon, Comoros, Eritrea, India and Micronesia.

Frequently asked questions

What colour are most passports?

In our collection of 156 passport covers, red & burgundy is the most common (79 covers). Red & burgundy: 79, Blue: 39, Green: 27, Black & dark: 11.

Why are EU passports burgundy?

EU member states agreed in 1981 on a common burgundy design so their passports would be recognisable as European. Croatia's, for example, followed when it joined the EU.

Why are some passports green?

Green is common in Muslim-majority countries — including Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin and Burkina Faso — where it is associated with Islam, and in some West African (ECOWAS) states.

Which countries have blue passports?

Many countries in the Americas and the Caribbean (where the CARICOM style is blue) and others such as Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada.