Except for serving their purpose as a travel document, some passports come in a unique and aesthetic style.
The travel documents often feature images of national landmarks and symbols, which appear only when viewed under UV light. These images not only make the passport look more unique but also serve as a security measure, making it more difficult to forge.
VisaGuide.World shares some of the most beautiful passports in the world, which are classified based on their visuals and what significance those visuals have for respective countries.
10. Hungary
Except for allowing visa-free entry to 100 countries in the world, the Hungarian passport has a very unique design, which is revealed only under UV light.
The travel document hides a scoresheet with Szózat, a Hungarian patriotic song, alongside important landmarks of the country, combined with the European Union’s 12-star flag, as a tribute to Hungary’s membership in the Union. We can agree that Hungary has one of the most outstanding passports in terms of aesthetics and for invoking patriotic emotion.
9. Macau
Macanese passport hides holographic images that blend both Chinese and Portuguese influences. The design contains hues of blue and very vibrant colours while displaying important attractions of the country, such as the Guia Lighthouse.
Macau’s passport does share some elements with Hong Kong’s, however, it is evident that the design nuances on this passport do make the travel document unique.
8. Norway
Norwegians are blessed with the Northern Lights and are so proud of it that they have displayed their illustrations in the national travel document.
The Norwegians, who are also known to be very practical, opted for a simple design on their passport – a mesmerising view of the Northern Lights and neat text with fluorescent fonts under a night scene.
With its most recent updated design, Norway no longer has a regular blue, red, green or black cover, as all other countries do. Since October 2020, the Norwegian passport covers come in three non-conventional colours: salmon (for ordinary passports), turquoise (for diplomatic, official and special passports) and white (for emergency passports).
7. Finland
Design-wise, the Finnish passport stands out for its optically variable device (OVD), which turns the travel document into a flip book, displaying a flying swan. In the previous design, it used to show a moose walking.
6. Canada
The Canadian passport displays magical-feel designs under the fluorescent light, which are full of colours and with fine details. The maple leaves, as a national symbol of Canada, are found throughout the passport, which has thermochromatic ink.
Shining UV light on the Canadian passport pages allows you to find important landmarks of the country, as well as historical figures and natural sights.
5. Indonesia
The Indonesian passport features local wonders or flora and fauna that are specific to the region. Each page has a different display and warm colors make this passport unique. That includes the Komodo dragon, which is most commonly found in this country.
4. The Philippines
The Philippines passport has a simple design with a purple hue and features the country’s landmarks with a secret twist – each page has parts of the national anthem, which is written in the Tagalog language.
Mayon Volcano, Underground River of Peurto Princesa, Palawan, are some of the sights that shine through the passport under the UV light.
3. Japan
According to our ranking, Japan has the third-most aesthetic passport, thanks to fine-detailed images revealed under UV light.
As The Travel Intern reports, Mount Fiji is displayed on the pages of the Japanese passport, featuring works of uniko-e artist Katsushika Hokusai. Showcasing these images pays homage to the artist and also increases the security of the passport.
The passport design is relatively recent (2020) and was updated ahead of the previous Olympic Games edition, held in Tokyo.
2. Australia
The passport showcases 17 iconic landmarks and has a hidden species of native fauna, always including the kangaroo. Some of these sights include Uluru or Ayers Rock and Bungle Bungle – which are famous Australian mountains.
What makes the Australian passport unique is the thread in the middle of the travel document, which, under the fluorescent light, changes colours to charcoal, red and white- inspired by the Indigenous artwork.
1. New Zealand
The New Zealand passport is the number one passport with the most unique and aesthetically pleasing design. Thanks to its visuals, which feature the cultural heritage of the country, this passport ranks the highest.
Being one of seven countries in the world that has a black cover passport, New Zealand’s travel document features Cyathea dealbata – a fern plant only found in the country.
However, this is not the only thing that makes the travel document’s design so unique. New Zealand’s travel documents have a theme of navigation and travel on their pages, featuring an astrolabe, which is an instrument used to measure when sailing – a smart move, considering that New Zealand is an island country.