21-25 Passport Facts
21. The Schengen Area is the area comprising 26 European countries that have abolished passport and any other type of border control at their common borders, essentially functioning as one country as far as travel. – Source
22. You cannot use a valid passport to travel to many foreign countries if it expires within 3 or 6 months. – Source
23. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which holds no territory, yet issues its own passports, prints its own currency and has permanent observer status at the UN. – Source
24. In February 2016, North Korean citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 42 countries and territories, ranking the North Korean passport 95th in the world (tied with Burundi and Myanmar) according to the Visa Restrictions Index. – Source
25. While living in South America, Nazi scientist Josef Mengele was able to travel with a Paraguayan passport under the clever disguise “José Mengele”. – Source
26-30 Passport Facts
26. Every year, several thousand people spend a collective $2bn to add a second, or even third, passport to their collection. – Source
27. Passports were not generally required for international travel until the first world war. – Source
28. There’s a market for diplomatic passports issued by countries desperate for money. – Source
29. The exiled royals of the Austrian Hapsburg Monarchy were issued Austrian passports labeled: “valid for travel of all countries of the world except Austria.” – Source
30. The Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program allows US parents who register their children to be notified if a passport application is submitted for them. – Source
