What is an Ordinary Passport (Normal or Regular Passport)?

The most common type of passport issued to the general public is an ordinary passport. An ordinary passport is also sometimes referred to as a normal passport or regular passport or a standard passport. 

An ordinary passport allows you to travel internationally for purposes such as tourism, family visits, business, study, work, etc. 

In this article, we will explore what an ordinary passport is, what it looks like, and who can get one. 

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What is an Ordinary Passport?

An ordinary passport is a travel document that verifies the identity and nationality of the passport holder. It is issued to citizens who want to travel internationally for personal reasons.

The ordinary passport contains information such as the passport holder’s name, date of birth, photograph, and signature. It also includes information about the issuing country, the passport number, and the expiration date. 

Ordinary passports are usually valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for children under the age of 14 to 18 (depending on the country).

Ordinary passports usually contain 28-32 pages (depending on the country), but jumbo booklets of 52 pages are also obtainable in some countries.

Ordinary passports are also usually accepted as a valid form of identification and proof of citizenship.  

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Passport Types

Governments issue different types of passports to their citizens depending on their purpose and needs. 

Regular Passport

As we talked earlier, a regular passport (ordinary passport) is the most commonly issued for international travel. This kind of passport is intended for personal travel, such as vacations, family visits, business, study, work, etc. 

These passports are valid for 10 years and can be used as a form of identification. 

Emergency Passport

Emergency passports are issued to those who need to travel urgently due to unforeseen circumstances, such as a family emergency or a lost/stolen passport. This type of passport has limited validity (a few days to a year), typically issued to citizens while abroad and is meant for returning to the country of citizenship. 

Emergency passports are issued by the embassy or consulate abroad. They are typically issued within 24 hours for emergency travel.

Countries other than the home country usually do not accept emergency passports for entry. 

After the emergency travel, you are expected to exchange this kind of passport for a regular 10-year validity passport within the home country. 

Temporary Passport

Temporary passports are similar to emergency passports; governments use these names interchangeably. These passports are also limited-validity passports issued for emergency travel due to a lost, stolen, or damaged passport. 

Temporary passports are also issued when your passport is out of blank pages or has expired while abroad. 

Refugee Passport

A refugee passport (also called a refugee travel document) is issued to refugees and stateless individuals who cannot apply for or obtain passports from their country of origin. This passport is issued by the country where the refugee has lawful residence by asylum. 

A refugee passport enables refugees and stateless individuals to travel internationally. This kind of passport also serves as an identity document for refugees. 

Other Passports

There are also some other types of passports that do not concern travelers. These passports are usually intended for government-related activities. These passports include: 

• Diplomatic passport
• Offical passport
• Service passport
• Special passport

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Passport Design

The design of an ordinary passport is governed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations. 

According to ICAO standards, a passport must be machine-readable or biometric. Let’s look into these two formats in detail. 

Machine Readable Passport

A machine-readable passport is a type of passport where the holder’s data can be read by a computer. This data usually includes the passport holder’s name, nationality, passport number and date of expiry. 

The passport holder’s data is printed in a format called the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ). This format is standardized to be read by computers. 

Machine-readable passports were introduced in 1980. Since 2015, all passports in the world are machine-readable. 

Biometric or Electronic Passport (ePassport)

A biometric passport is a type of passport that has a microchip embedded in the cover. This chip contains the passport holder’s personal information in digital format, such as name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, etc. 

The chip also contains the holder’s biometric information, such as a digital photo of the face, fingerprints and iris scan. 

Biometric passports are also referred to by some governments as Electronic Passports or ePassports.

The microchip is embedded in the passport’s front or back cover. The chip is very small and it does not create lumps or dents in the cover.

Biometric passports are also machine-readable, meaning these passports also contain the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ). 

Many developed countries, such as the US, UK, Canada, countries in the EU, Australia, etc, issue biometric passports to their citizens. Some countries, such as India just started issuing biometric passports to their citizens. 

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Passport Security

In addition to the design (machine-readable or biometric), passports also include specific textual and graphical elements such as watermarks, holograms and special inks to prevent fraud and forgery. 

The photo page of the passport of some countries includes a special laminate that is difficult to tamper or reproduce. Other features, such as microprinting or ultraviolet ink, are only visible under certain conditions. 

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Travel Rights

All citizens are entitled to obtain an ordinary passport unless the government imposes restrictions due to criminal convictions, court order or warrants. 

An ordinary passport allows its holder to travel internationally for tourism, business, and other purposes. Most destination countries require the passport to be valid for at least 6 months and to contain at least one blank page at the time of entry. Some countries require additional documentation, such as a travel visa, to enter. 

An ordinary passport also gives its holder the right to seek consular assistance and citizen-related help from the home country’s foreign mission abroad. It also allows the holder to seek protection or evacuation in a foreign country.