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Passports
by Simone Pretere
http://www.fieldpassport.com
Passports are forms of personal identification that
identifies the person as being a national in a particular
country. It allows people to move through one country to
another and provides the holder the right to legal
protection while in that country. Passports are photo ID's
that carry the holders signature, nationality and date of
birth. Because of the threat of Sept. 11, 2001, most
countries are making passports hard to fake. By the end of
this year, the U.S. will be implanting a micro chip in
every passport that will identify the original holder.
Passports are usually shown at the boarders of most
countries, however, in many counties there are reciprocal
agreements that allow their citizens to enter with other
identifying documents. Examples of these agreements between
countries such as the U. S., Canada and Mexico. This will
soon change also and by 2007 all people will have to show
passports to enter any of these countries.
Passports may be stamped or sealed with visas issued by the
host country that authorize entry for an extended period of
time. The front cover of all passports bear the full
official name of the issuing country, and often that
nation's coat of arms or another complex identifying
symbol. Passports follow a standardized format. They begin
with a cover identifying the issuing country followed by a
title page also naming the country. The next pages provide
information about the holder and the issuing authority.
After this page a number of blank pages follow, designated
for foreign countries to affix visas and/or stamp the
passport on entrance or exit. The issuing authority numbers
its passports. For instance, the standard U.S. passport has
24 pages.
U.S. residents applying for a passport for the first time
will need to complete a U.S. Passport Application Form,
provide an original proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a
birth certificate, two 2" x 2" identical photographs with a
light, plain background taken within the last six months
and the requisite fee set by the U.S. Department of State.
Those desiring a passport typically apply at their local
U.S. Post Office.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the U. S. placed travel restrictions
on all passport bearers. That restriction is being lifted
by the end of Feb. of this year which will make U. S.
passports are valid for travel to all countries in the
world except Cuba.
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