How Do Passports Work?

How do passports work? This might seem like common knowledge to some, but there are a lot of people out there who have no idea what a passport is and what it's used for, so we'll start at the very beginning.

A lot of people, especially in the United States don't know anything about passports because it's a large, diverse country where people can live their entire lives without leaving its borders. There's plenty to see and do here in the U.S. In fact, there's a large percentage of Americans that don't travel internationally, and that explains why there is a conservative estimate that 75% of Americans don't own a passport.

What Is A Passport?

So for those Americans and any others who are unclear on passports, let's get really basic... what is a passport? To quote the United States Department of State, "It is a document issued by a country to a citizen of that country, allowing that person to travel abroad and re-enter the home country."

Every country in the world issues their own passports. Citizens of all countries need passports to travel out of their country and into another. There are exceptions, but that needs to be addressed in another article.

The format is generally a small booklet about 3 inches by 5 inches. At the front there are the official identification pages that contain your name and your officially affixed photo. (You supply a 2 inch by 2 inch photo when you apply). This page also contains the information on your birth date, where you were born, when and where the document was issued, when it expires, and that all important passport number. You must sign it when you receive it for it to be valid. In the United States, they are valid for ten years for adults, and they're valid for five years for children 15 years of age and younger.

The pages that follow are empty waiting to be used for exit and entry stamps, meaning that when you enter or leave a country, your passport gets stamped by that country. Those empty pages are also used for formal visas if they are required.

When you're leaving the United States, there is no government document control station. Your passport (and visas) will be checked for validity by the airline you are traveling with.

When entering a new country, the Immigration Officer will check your documents and stamp it with the date of your entry. In most countries you are allowed to visit for a limited amount of time (generally thirty days) without officially applying for an extended visit, so this stamp marks the start of your visit.

The Immigration Officer will check that date at your departure and stamp you out.

For most travelers, these stamps are great memories of their travels.

The whole idea is pretty easy and straight forward, but if you've never used a passport before or you're considering an international trip, it's good to know the basics of how a passport works!