The Reason Why Passports Only Come In 4 Colors

Did You Know Passports Only Came In Four Colors?

There are 196 countries in the world today. You may find it odd that only four different colors are used on all passports. The options are usually Red (Most Common), Blue (Second most common), Green, and Black (The rarest). The reason why certain countries select their colors isn’t a random accident either. There is a reason behind it all, and it’s a lot more logical than you think.

Red

The most common color in the world is Red. Passports with a red cover are often selected by countries that were historically or currently communist. The European Union also has opted to choose Burgundy passports (a shade of red), with the exception of Croatia. Countries interested in joining the European Union have shifted to a red passport, these include Turkey, Macedonia, and Albania. There also are exceptions. The Andean Community of Nations (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) also have burgundy passports.

Blue

The next most common in the world is Blue. The blue passport symbolizes the “New World”. The countries that have opted for blue include the United States, Canada, Cuba and 14 other Carribean nations. In South America, all members of the Mercosur trade union have blue colors (Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay) with the exception of Venezuela. American passports became blue starting in 1976. Australia also has a blue passport.

Green

Green was considered the favorite color of the Prophet Muhammad and is a symbol of nature and life. Therefore Green is the color of choice for most Muslim countries. Examples include Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. Several West African countries (Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, Ivory Coast, and Senegal) also have green passports to symbolize that they belong to ECOWAS (The Economic Community of West African States).

Black

The rarest of passports are ones with black covers. This can be found in some countries in the African continent such as Botswana, Zambia, Burundi, Gabon, Angola, Chad, Congo, and Malawi. New Zealand has a black passport as well since the country’s national color is black. India as well as selected black for their passport.