Why Are Passports Almost Always Red, Blue, Green or Black?
News Desk
Islamabad: Why are passports almost always red, blue, green or black? Ever wondered why passports around the world seem to come in the same handful of colours?
Despite countries having complete freedom to choose their passport designs, most travel documents are issued in shades of just four colours: red, blue, green and black.
The choice is not entirely random. Passport colours can reflect a country’s history, political identity, religious associations and even practical considerations related to security and printing.
Blue is widely used by countries that associate the colour with the modern world, openness and a new national identity. In some cases, it has also been linked to a desire to distance a country from its historical European identity.
Red, meanwhile, has acquired strong political associations in some parts of the world. The colour was particularly linked with communist governments, making red passports a visible reflection of political ideology during certain periods.
Croatia offers an interesting example. Despite becoming a member of the European Union, the country retained its distinctive blue passport rather than adopting the burgundy colour commonly associated with EU passports. The decision has at times been interpreted as an expression of national identity.
Green passports, meanwhile, are particularly common in Muslim-majority countries. The colour has strong religious and cultural significance in Islam and is traditionally associated with the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). As a result, several Islamic countries have incorporated green into their passport designs.
Black is the least common of the four major passport colours. New Zealand uses a black passport as an expression of its national identity, while black is also used for certain diplomatic and official travel documents in some countries.
So, are countries legally restricted to these four colours?
Not exactly.
Countries generally have considerable freedom when designing their passports, meaning there is no universal international rule requiring passports to be red, blue, green or black. Yet these colours dominate because they combine symbolism with practicality.
There is also a surprisingly simple explanation for why bright shades such as pink, yellow or light blue are rarely seen on passport covers.
Passport covers commonly feature gold-coloured security text, emblems or lettering applied using hot foil stamping. These metallic details tend to stand out more clearly against darker backgrounds, making colours such as deep blue, burgundy, green and black practical choices.
Nepal, for example, uses a dark brown passport, where the contrasting security markings remain clearly visible.
The result is a curious combination of history, politics, religion, national pride and printing technology.
So the next time you see a passport, its colour may tell you more than you think, not only about where its holder comes from, but also about how that country sees itself.
