A dive into the different passport colors and their meaning

• What are the different passport colors and their meanings?
• Why are there different U.S. passport colors?
• The evolution of the U.S. Passport
• FAQ

US citizens have blue passports, along with citizens of several other countries.

A blue passport typically represents the “new world” but it can also be an indication of the economic union that a specific country is a part of. Most of South America, the Caribbean countries, and U.S. territories have blue passports. Although, several countries that are not part of the “new world” have blue passports, such as a few in Africa and Asia.

A red/burgundy passport is also typically an indication of the country’s economic union status. For example, all EU countries have burgundy passports, and the UK changed its passport from burgundy to blue when it withdrew from the EU.

Switzerland also has a red passport, which matches their flag, and Türkiye, an EU hopeful, has switched to red.

Green is an important color in the Islamic faith and is therefore used as the passport color for many Islamic countries. This includes places like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, and Morocco, as well as many African countries.

Mexico, Vatican City, and Taiwan also use green passports for non-religious reasons.

This is the rarest passport color. Seen as the most practical color, it provides a nice contrast with the countries’ crests and also hides dirt well.

Countries using black passports include Angola, Malawi, Congo, The Palestinian Territories, Trinidad & Tobago, and Tajikistan. New Zealand also uses a black passport, as black is their national color.

Diplomatic (black) passports are issued to U.S. government employees with diplomatic status, including foreign service officers, persons granted diplomatic titles, and certain high-level personal representatives of the President or Secretary of State.

These passports include specific endorsements for heads of state (the President, Vice President, former Presidents and Vice Presidents) and their authorized family members when traveling on official business.

Official (maroon) passports are issued to U.S. government officers and employees, along with eligible family members, when traveling on official government business.

This includes federal employees such as law enforcement agents when authorized, as well as active-duty members of the military traveling on certain official orders (though military personnel may also use military ID and travel orders where a Status of Forces Agreement applies).

Service (gray) passports are issued in limited circumstances to non-personal services contractors and other narrowly defined categories who must travel in support of the U.S. government when a regular passport is not sufficient. Use and issuance are restricted and authorized by the Department of State.

Regular U.S. citizens have blue passports. To be clear, people who have other U.S. passport colors also have blue passports, as the other colors are not valid for leisure travel.

There’s also a no-fee version of the blue passport provided to members of the American Red Cross, the Peace Corps, and the Department of Defense.

Green
The League of Nations standardized passport requirements, and the U.S. followed suit. The U.S. passport evolved into a small green booklet.

Blue
The passport became patriotically blue to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial.

Green
In 1993, the green cover returned to celebrate the bicentennial of the U.S. Consular Service. This, however, was a short-lived change.

Blue
In 1994, the passport color was changed back to blue and has remained so ever since. It is believed that this blue matches that of the American flag.