What the colour of your passport says about your country

These colours have a distinct meaning in the country in which they are used.

Red is the most common colour for passport covers. Countries with communist pasts or presents and European countries use red passports. Countries like Serbia, Russia, Latvia, Slovenia, Poland, China, Romania, and Georgia use red passports.

Countries in the European Union and the Andean Community of Nations have burgundy or other shades of red. Turkey, Macedonia, and Albania have recently switched to red passport covers. Red typically signifies power and authority.

Blue is the symbol of the “new world,”. It is the next most common passport colour. The United States changed their passports to blue in 1976; they were green before. 15 Caribbean countries and South American countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay also have blue passports. Blue passports offer high mobility and minimal visa restrictions.

Most Muslim countries, like Morocco, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, use green passport covers, symbolising the Prophet Muhammad’s favourite colour.

West African countries like Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, and Senegal also use green passports, representing their membership in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Green is also the colour of nature and eternal life.

However, green passports often face restrictions and discrimination during travel.

Black passport covers are rare. They are found in African countries like Angola, Chad, Congo, Botswana, Zambia, Burundi, Gabon, and Malawi, and in New Zealand, where the national colour is black.