Chapter 4 Annex 1 - Travel documents issued by foreign countries to refugee or stateless persons

Many foreign countries issue travel documents prescribed under the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees or the 1946 Agreement relating to the Issue of a Travel Document to Refugees. These documents usually have two black bands across the top left corner of the front cover.

While the Agreements made certain provisions for the initial validity of these documents, as well as their renewability, replacement and the automatic ‘returnability’ to the country of issue without a visa, they also allowed the issuing authorities some discretion. Issuing Governments have the power to limit the period of automatic ‘returnability’ granted with one of these documents to three months, and the period of automatic ‘returnability’ need not coincide with the period of validity of the document itself. Many of these documents do not carry automatic returnability.

The holder of a travel document issued under the 1946 Agreement or 1951 Convention will normally need a visa for a territory other than the country of issue.

Visas for the UK should be gratis when issued in Council of Europe countries to the holders of refugee travel documents issued by Council of Europe countries.

Details of travel documents known to be issued by foreign countries to refugees or stateless persons are given below:-

Afghanistan
A Passport pour les Refugies printed in Persian and French is issued. It comprises a paper cover, the colour of which varies from time to time, to which a large folded sheet is attached by a wire staple.

The document is issued solely to enable the holder to leave Afghanistan, is not valid for return and cannot be renewed abroad.

Algeria
Two documents are issued:

1. A Titre de Voyage issued under the 1951 Convention for Stateless Persons. It has a blue cover, is printed in Arabic and French with gold letters on the cover and two gold bands across the corner. The validity is never less than three months and the document allows automatic return during the period stated in it.
2. A Titre de Voyage pour Apartride. It has a pink cover, is printed in Arabic and French with gold letters on the cover and one gold band across the corner. It is valid for automatic return to Algeria during the period stated in it.

Argentina
Three documents are issued:

1. A Special Passport for Foreigners has a stiff blue cover bearing the title ‘Pasaporte Especial para Extranjeros’ in gold letters. This document is valid for one year and can be renewed outside Argentina for a similar period once only. A re-entry visa is not required providing the passport remains valid, that the holder has an Argentine Identity Card, and a Travel Certificate or Good Conduct Certificate obtained from or visaed by the Federal Police before departure, and is returning within two years of departure (the passport should show an exit stamp).
2. A travel document issued under the 1951 Convention. It measures 6 inches x 4 inches and has hard air force blue covers with two parallel diagonal black stripes on the top left-hand corner.
3. Provisional Passport. A4 sized single sheet folded into 4. It is valid for 60 days to return to Argentina. It is not restricted to Argentinean Nationals.

Armenia
Until national documents are prepared (still in process as at December 2006), stateless persons with legal permanent residence in Armenia are issued with 1951 Convention Travel documents.

Australia
Two documents are issued:

1. Certificate of Identity: a blue coloured booklet containing 64 pages, issued only in Australia, with a validity not exceeding 5 years, to persons who are about to travel from Australia and are unable to obtain a travel document from their country of claimed nationality. A re-entry visa for return to Australia is required.
2. Document of Identity: a brown coloured booklet containing 4 pages, issued to Australian citizens (in cases where it is considered either unnecessary or undesirable to issue an Australian passport), and to persons who possess the nationality of a Commonwealth country. Validity is normally restricted to specific journeys. A re-entry visa for return to Australia is required.

Austria
There are two documents:

1. A Fremdenpass which has a brown cover and is printed in German, French and English.
2. A Reisedocument under the 1951 Convention for refugees. This has a blue cover with the usual two black bands and is printed in German and English.

Azerbaijan
Until national documents are prepared (still in hand as at December 2006), stateless persons with legal permanent residence in Azerbaijan are issued with a Republic of Azerbaijan "Identity Certificate of the Apatride".

Bahamas
Certificate of Identity: a double sheet of white paper printed in English and French. It is issued to Bahamian citizens who have to travel at short notice; British subjects resident in the Bahamas whose claim to citizenship has not been resolved; and to stateless persons and non-nationals of the Bahamas who have permission to reside in the Bahamas.

Holders of this document should be regarded as non-returnable to the Bahamas unless stated otherwise by an official stamp in lower left corner of front page: "valid for travelling to all countries and return to the Bahamas."

Bahrain
A Certificate of Identity is issued in the form of a double sheet of pale green paper printed in Arabic and English. It is endorsed with the country of destination thus: Bahrain/United Kingdom/Bahrain to show that it is valid for return.

A travel document is issued. It is pale blue, contains 32 pages and is normally valid for two years.

Belarus
Comments awaited from Post.(January 2007)

Belgium
Three documents are issued:

1. Titre de Voyage, under the 1951 Convention, for refugees. This has a dark blue cover (with two yellow bands) and is printed in French and Flemish. (An earlier version of this document had black bands. This is still acceptable if valid). The initial validity is normally one year, sometimes two years and never less than three months. The document allows automatic return until the date shown half-way down page 1 and, when renewed, until expiry (or, rarely, until an earlier date on a Belgian exit-and-return visa).
2. Titre de Voyage, under the 1946 Agreement, for refugees. This has a grey cover and is printed in French and Flemish. The validity is usually one year, renewable thereafter usually for one year at a time. The document allows automatic return until expiry (or, rarely, until an earlier date on a Belgian exit-and-return visa).
3. Titre de Voyage pour les Etrangers qui ne sont pas des Refugies Politiques. This has a pink cover and is printed in French, Flemish, English and German. The document is valid until the expiry of the latest Belgian exit-and-return visa, which period varies greatly. It is not valid for return without a visa.

Only in very exceptional cases, to enable the holder to return, are the above three documents renewable abroad.

Bolivia
A single sheet headed ‘Ministerio de Interior, Justicia y Migracion Bolivia, Salvo-conducto’ is issued to aliens who have no consular representation in the country.

This document is valid for one journey outward and return, but requires the presentation of a re-entry permit granted by the Ministry of Immigration to a Bolivian Consul abroad to obtain a return visa.

Botswana
A Travel Document under the 1951 Convention is issued. It is in the same form as the document issued by the United Kingdom.

Brazil

1. Two documents are issued. A brown laissez-passer entitled ‘Passaporte Para Estrangeiros’ is issued to stateless persons and foreigners with permanent residence status whose countries of origin do not have diplomatic relations with Brazil. The document is coloured yellow when issued to nationals of countries with whom Brazil has diplomatic relations. It contains 16 pages and is valid for return to Brazil without a visa.
2. A yellow passaporte para estrangeiros. 16 pages.

Brunei
International Certificate of Identity: a booklet with a soft blue cover, issued to stateless persons and aliens who cannot obtain national passports. It may be valid for up to one year in the first instance, then replaced by a certificate valid for 5 years. A re-entry visa is required unless the holder is in possession of a Brunei residence permit. The certificate ceases to be valid when the holder obtains any national passport. (A General Certificate of Identity, a booklet with a soft green cover, is issued to Bruneian Permanent Residents for journeys to Sabah and Sarawak only).

Bulgaria
A Titre de Voyage is issued, having a blue cover and printed in Bulgarian and French. A re-entry visa is required, contains 20 pages.

Burma (Myanmar)
A Certificate of Identity, printed on a double foolscap sheet, is issued to persons who are leaving Burma for good and who cannot obtain a non-Burmese travel document. It carries no returnability.

The Burmese authorities do not issue Stateless persons travel documents, though some attorneys issue an Affidavit of Identity, printed in the form of a passport, to persons who have no claim to Burmese nationality.

Burundi
A laissez-passer is issued to non-nationals resident in Burundi and is valid for re-entry unless there is an endorsement to the contrary. It is made valid for one month, seven months or twelve months according to the holder’s needs and may be extended at Burundi Embassies abroad.

Cambodia
Two documents are issued:

1. A laissez-passer, normally of short validity, to enable non-nationals to leave Cambodia. An exit visa is required. No re-entry visa can be obtained on this document.
2. A Certificate of Identity, normally valid for one year and used as a passport. An exit visa is required, normally permitting re-entry and valid for one year.

Cameroon
One document is issued:

A travel document under the 1951 Convention is issued. It is a passport type document with a blue cover. Initial validity is normally three years.

Canada
Two documents are issued:

1. Travel Document under the 1951 Convention: a booklet having a mid-blue cover with two black bands in the upper left-hand corner. It is issued only in Ottawa but may be extended by Canadian Posts abroad after referral provided its total life does not exceed five years. The document contains a "return" clause, specifying the period within which the bearer is authorised to return to Canada, which normally coincides with the period of validity of the Travel Document.
2. Certificate of Identity: a tan coloured booklet. It is issued to those permanent residents (and, for compassionate or livelihood cases, those on a Minister’s permit to be processed for permanent residence) who are stateless or genuinely unable to obtain a travel document of their nationality. Initially issued for one year (or sometimes two) it may be extended provided that its total life does not exceed three years. It is valid only for the countries to which the applicant has indicated that he/she wishes to travel. Other countries may be added subsequently. The Certificate of Identity does not guarantee a right of re-entry into Canada, although returning residents may be readmitted at a Canadian port of entry on or before the expiry date of a Certificate of Identity at the discretion of the Immigration official.

Chile
Two documents are issued:

1. Documento de viaje para extranjeros (Travel document for foreigners). This document similar in size to the Chilean passport, has a black leather-look cover, 32 numbered pages and is printed in Spanish and English. It is issued to stateless persons and nationals of countries not represented in Chile, provided that they hold permits for permanent residence, and is good for return without a visa during the period of its validity.
2. Titulo de viaje para extranjeros. This document is issued to persons in the above categories who do not hold a permit to reside indefinitely in Chile. It is endorsed as valid for the outward journey only but may be used for return to Chile provided the holder obtains a visa.

China (People’s Republic of)
Three documents are issued:

1. Laissez-passer. This document came into use on 1 January 1971 and is a simplified form of the ‘Chinese People’s Republic aliens travel document’ previously issued. It is issued to aliens who apply to the Chinese authorities for an international travel document in order to leave or travel to China. It does not affect the national status of the holder. Valid exit/entry visas are required. It is a single sheet of paper and is printed in English, French and Chinese.
2. Travel Certificate of the People’s Republic of China. This document has been issued since 1 September 1978 to replace the ‘Repatriation Certificate’ it is issued to Overseas Chinese who do not hold passports of the PRC, to enable them to travel to China. Valid exit/entry visas are required. It is printed in English, French, and Chinese on pink paper and contains eight pages.
3. Chinese Permit (the literal translation is ‘hometown returning permit’). This document is issued solely to Chinese compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao who wish to travel between those places and the mainland. It is printed totally in Chinese, has a brown cover, and contains 48 pages.

Colombia
Two documents are issued:

1. A Documento de Viaje is issued to stateless residents and to some nationals who have no national representatives in Colombia. It is not unlike a national passport but of inferior quality and unembossed, with a brown cover. The serial number is in the same kind of perforated security typing that is used to fill in the particulars. This document is valid for one year and renewable abroad subject to authorisation from Bogota. If the holder has been granted a Visa de Residencia he can obtain a re-entry visa before leaving Colombia, otherwise he usually carries a letter addressed to the Colombian Consul at his destination authorising the grant of a return visa on application.
2. A Passporte de Emergencia, has a cream coloured stiff paper cover. This document is issued abroad solely for a single journey to return to Colombia.

Congo
A Travel Document is issued under the 1951 Convention for Refugees. It has a light blue cover and contains 32 white pages lightly overprinted ‘28 Juillet 1951’ in green. It is valid for one year, and the holder has returnability to the Congo without the necessity of obtaining a visa.

Costa Rica
A travel document is issued to aliens who need to leave Costa Rica and who do not have representatives accredited in the Republic or under other circumstances cannot obtain a travel document from their own country. The nationality of the holder and sufficient information for identification is included. The travel document (Documento de identification y viaje) is light blue in colour with yellow pages. Returnability is indicated in the document by a re-entry stamp which states that the person may re-enter once or a number of times within a certain period.

Cuba
A Titulo de Identidad y de Transito is issued to non-nationals who, owing to special circumstances, are unable to obtain passports from their national representatives. It has a thin light blue cover headed CUBA in heavy type and is printed in Spanish. The document is valid for one year and renewable for two further periods of one year. It cannot be renewed abroad and is not valid for return without a visa, contains 12 pages.

Cyprus
Certificate of Identity, or Laissez-passer: a double sheet of blue paper printed in English and French. It is usually issued to Cypriots who have no national passport or to persons of Cypriot descent. On rare occasions it is issued to permanent residents without nationality. It is valid for one year unless a shorter period is specified and valid for re-entry to Cyprus. It may also be issued to aliens who have lost their passports and have no diplomatic representative based in Cyprus, in which case the document will have no re-entry validity.

Czech Republic
Two documents are issued:

1. A Carte d’Identite de Voyage is issued to stateless persons for journeys abroad in the form of a single sheet. It specifies the number of days of the permitted stay abroad, the date on which permission to leave expires, which is usually one month from the date of issue of the document, and the period of the document’s validity (normally two years). No separate exit visas will be affixed and the document guarantees returnability to the Czech Republic within its validity.
2. A Titre de Voyage, of good quality with 32 pages and soft cover, dark green in colour with gold printing. The printing inside is in Czech, English, French, Arabic, Spanish and Russian. It is issued to stateless aliens and foreigners permanently resident in the Czech Republic but having no national document. It is good for return within the time allowed by the return visa (which can be extended overseas). Should the holder fail to extend the visa then the document becomes invalid.

Denmark
Three documents are issued:

1. Titre de Voyage, under the 1951 Convention, for refugees. This has a light blue cover, which has the usual two black bands and is printed in Danish, French and English.
2. Titre de Voyage, under the 1946 Agreement, for refugees. This has a brown cover and is otherwise similar to (a).
3. Fremmedpas, to aliens resident in Denmark. This has a light tan cover and is printed in Danish, German, French and English. The passport does not permit the holder to return without special permission from the Chief of Police in Denmark.

Dominican Republic
Two documents are issued:

1. A Documento de Viaje, under the 1946 Agreement, is issued to refugees and stateless persons. This has white covers, and is printed in Spanish and English. The period of validity, within which the holder may return without a visa, normally one year, is stated inside. The document may only be renewed abroad on authority from Santo Domingo.
2. A Re-entry Permit is issued to foreign residents without consular representation in the Dominican Republic, and displaced persons and refugees admitted as residents. It is a single green sheet and is valid for one year.

Ecuador
Two documents are issued:

1. A Certificado Especial (Salvoconducto), for Ecuadorean nationals who have lost their passports and to enable them to return to Ecuador. The document is valid for one journey.
2. A Travel Document, under the 1951 Convention, for refugees. It has a stiff blue cover and is printed in Spanish and English. It is valid for return to Ecuador up to the date shown on page 1 of the document.

Egypt
Two documents are issued:

1. Laissez-Passer for stateless persons, or to certain categories of foreigners who have difficulty in obtaining a passport from the country to which they belong, or to those whose countries have no consular representation in the Arab Republic of Egypt to facilitate their movement within and out of the country. The Laissez-Passer has a brown cover. On the front is a drawing of the Eagle, also found on the stamp bearing the emblem of the Arab Republic of Egypt. It contains 48 pages, is valid for a maximum of five years and for the countries stated in it. The document may be renewed in or out of the country but only after reference to the issuing authority.
2. Document de Voyage pour les Refugies Palestiniens, is issued to Palestinian refugees residing in the country, or to those residing in the Gaza Strip, or to the natives of Gaza residing abroad, or to the natives of the West Bank to whom Egyptian travel documents were previously issued. The Document de Voyage is blue coloured. On the front cover is a drawing of the Eagle, also found on the stamp bearing the emblem of the Arab Republic of Egypt. It contains 36 pages, is valid for a maximum of five years and for all countries of the world.

Holders of these documents must obtain entry or transit visas to return to Egypt.

El Salvador
Two documents are issued, both consisting of a white sheet bearing the printed heading (in blue) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the typed details of the holder. They are:

1. Permiso Especial, for resident foreigners who by reason of lack of consular representation, or for other very special reasons are unable to obtain national documents. This document is valid for six months and cannot be extended. It entitles the holder to return without a re-entry visa.
2. Salvo-conducto, for foreigners who, for political reasons, have been obliged to enter El Salvador without a passport. This document ceases to be valid when the holder leaves the country.

Estonia
Ajutine Reisidokument (temporary travel document) is green with 8 pages. The document is issued to non-Estonian citizens living in Estonia on the basis of registration of the former Estonian SSR and who do not hold a valid travel document. It is valid for a single round trip.

The document may also be issued for permanent departure from Estonia for whose who are not able to obtain a foreign passport. This does not entitle the holder to return to Estonia.

Also issues Estonian Alien’s passport, brown with 32 pages.

Ethiopia
There are two documents:

1. A Laissez-Passer, consisting of four sheets, the first printed, and to which additional sheets are sometimes added. The period of validity varies. For return a re-entry visa is essential and only obtainable in Addis Ababa. This usually takes the form of an exit and re-entry given prior to departure, and the period of validity is shown on the visa, not always very distinctly. In some cases an ‘exit only’ visa is given which does not entitle the holder to return.
2. A Titre de Voyage, under the 1951 Convention. It has a blue cover, with the usual two black bands and is printed in English and French.

European Community
See entry in main Chapter.

Finland Two documents are issued:

1. An Aliens Passport, having a semi-stiff grey cover. Valid for a maximum period of five years, and in exceptional cases can be renewed abroad after reference to Helsinki. A valid residence permit must be endorsed in the document in order for the holder to re-enter Finland. Generally issued to asylum seekers who have been granted temporary asylum on humanitarian grounds.
2. A Travel Document, having a semi-stiff green cover with two black bands across the top left hand corner. Issued to refugees under the 1951 Convention. Usually issued to those refugees who have been granted political asylum in Finland.

France
Three documents are issued:

1. ‘Titre de Voyage,’ under the 1951 Convention, for refugees. This has a blue cover (with the usual black bands) and is printed in French and English. A new version (c. 1989) has a soft cover in rich blue with two gold bands in the top left corner and gold lettering. It is printed in French and Spanish and is valid for 2 years. The document varies in validity from one to two years, allows automatic return within this period, and can be renewed abroad subject to reference home.
2. ‘Titre d’Identite et de Voyage’, for ‘non-statutory’ refugees and stateless persons. It is light green with a red band across top left and bottom right corners, and is printed in French only. The document is valid for one year, may be renewed abroad subject to reference home, but is not valid for re-entry to France without a return visa.
3. 'Titre de Voyage pour Apatride’, under the 1954 Convention, for Jewish refugees from the United Arab Republic. It is grey-green with one thick black band across the top left-hand corner and it is printed in French and English. It is valid for two years and return within this period. It is renewable for further periods of two years.

Gambia
Emergency Certificate: a single sheet of white paper printed in English and closely resembling in style and format the British Emergency Passport. It is issued to persons who have no national passport. It is made either valid or not valid for return to Gambia depending on the circumstances surrounding its issue to the holder.

Georgia

1. Stateless Person’s Certificate. This document has stiff brown covers and consists of 10 pages (including the inside front and back cover).
2. Red Cross/Red Crescent Certificate for travel abroad. This document has stiff grey covers with lettering and cross and crescent symbols in red. It contains 14 pages, and specifies the country of destination.

Both these documents are valid for return to Georgia provided the holders possess exit/re-entry visas, which normally consist of a sheet of stiff paper giving inter alia the holder’s particulars and the number of his/her travel document.

Germany
There are four documents:

1. A travel document is issued to foreigners who neither have a passport nor a substitute passport document from another State or can reasonably obtain one. It has a semi-stiff, light grey cover, contains 32 pages and bears the number and holder’s name on a white label on the front, written in German, French and English. The document is valid for two years, although it may be extended by a maximum of 2 years up to a total period of 10 years from the date of issue. The Fremdenpass is valid for 5 years up to a total of 10 years in the case of holders of travel documents who have been issued with an unlimited residence permit or right of residence. A Fremdenpass holder is entitled to enter and/or re-enter the Federal Republic if the document contains a valid residence permit, residence entitlement or residence authorisation. A Fremdenpass can only be issued abroad with the approval of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The former Fremdenpass which has a semi-stiff light blue cover and is printed in German remains valid for the period stated in the document.
2. Reiseausweis or Titre de Voyage, under the 1954 Agreement, for refugees. This has a stiff, blue cover and is printed in German and English. The document is usually valid for two years. It allows automatic return until the date shown in para 2 on its page 1, unless a later date is specified inside.
3. Reiseausweis or Travel Document, under the 1951 Convention, for refugees. This has a stiff blue cover (with the usual two black bands), and is printed in German and English. The initial validity is normally one year, sometimes two years, and never less than three months. The document allows automatic return until the date shown half-way down page 1 unless a later date is specified inside.
4. Reiseausweis or Travel Document under the 1946 Convention. Green document (with the two usual black bands), printed in German or French. Foreign Missions are able to extend the period of validity of the above documents but only with the approval of the competent aliens’ authority.

Ghana
Two documents are issued:

1. Travel certificate with semi-stiff blue cover, valid 5 years, for travel within Africa and on the Haj pilgrimage, and anywhere for minors under 12 years of age.
2. A certificate of identity on 2 white foolscap sheets is available to children and adults to travel anywhere for short visits, or for those who have lost their passports and need to travel urgently, or are being repatriated. It guarantees neither Ghanaian nationality nor returnability.

The High Commission in Accra accepts the blue travel certificates as valid for any entry certificate applications by minors, but does not accept the white certificates of identity for any visit applications, whether adult or minor.

Greece
Three documents are issued:

1. Titre de Voyage, under the 1951 Convention, for Armenians, White Russians and Assyrio-Chaldeans. This has a blue cover, (with the usual two black bands), and is printed in Greek and French. It is valid for one year, one journey, with return to Greece and can be renewed by Greek Consuls abroad.
2. Titre de Voyage under the 1951 Convention for issue to refugees. It has a dark-blue cover with diagonal white lines, and contains 32 pages. It is printed in Greek and French. Period of validity for travel and return to Greece is shown on page 6.
3. Titre de Voyage under the 1954 Convention for issue to stateless persons. It has a dark-blue cover with diagonal white lines and contains 32 pages. It is printed in Greek and French. Period of validity for travel and return to Greece is shown on page 6.

Guatemala
A special travel permit, printed on a single sheet of white paper, is issued. The permit is valid for one year initially and renewable for a further period of not more than one year. Consul’s abroad will forward these permits home for renewal. The document normally allows automatic return until a stated date.

Guyana
Two documents are issued:

1. Emergency Certificate: a single sheet with crest overlaid on lower half, the wording of which is similar to that of a British Emergency Passport. It is issued to Commonwealth citizens resident in Guyana who are unable to obtain national passports. It is valid for not more than one year and for a single return journey.
2. Certificate of Identity: a double sheet of plain white foolscap, printed in English and French. It is issued to resident aliens who have no national passport. It is valid for not more than one year and for a single return journey.

Haiti
A Certificate d’Identite et de Voyage tenant lieu de passport, consisting of a single white sheet, is issued. No period of validity is shown on the document, but a permis de retour delivered with it is valid for one year. The certificate is renewable abroad and must be "visa-ed" abroad for return.

Honduras
Nansen certificates (laissez-passer) are issued to stateless persons and to persons who have no diplomatic or consular representative in Honduras. The certificate is typewritten and bears the photograph of the bearer. It is valid for one year and residents intending to return can obtain re-entry visas before they depart and facilities for renewal abroad are available.

Hungary
Travel document for stateless persons which has a soft grey cover with 32 light green pages. It is valid for 2 years and can be extended abroad. The holder is entitled to return to Hungary as long as the document is valid. Travel document issued for a single journey: a single sheet of paper with a green border which is similar to a British Emergency Passport.

Iceland
Two documents are issued:

1. A Travel Document is issued under the 1951 Convention, for refugees. This has a semi-stiff blue cover (with the usual two black bands). The period of validity is given on the second page and is never less than one year. The document allows the holder to return to Iceland as long as it remains valid. It is not renewable abroad.
2. An Aliens passport issued primarily to stateless residents. It has a semi-stiff plasticised cover and is printed in Icelandic, French and English. It is usually valid for one year, renewable only in Iceland, and is issued in order to give the holder an identification document into which temporary residence permits can be endorsed. Although the holder can travel on it if necessary, and it permits the holder to return to Iceland, it does not entitle the holder to permanent residence.

India
Identity Certificate: a booklet with a stiff linen cover, is issued to residents who are stateless or whose national status is in doubt. It is initially valid for one year and may be extended for a year at a time up to a maximum of four years. It is not valid for return to India but the holder may apply before his/her departure for a ‘No objection to return’ endorsement which ensures that a visa will be granted by a Post abroad. Otherwise applications made abroad for visas to return to India are treated on their merits.

Indonesia
Two documents are issued:

1. Passport for Aliens which has a red cover, contains 24 pages, is printed in Indonesian and English and is valid until a date shown on its page 10. It cannot be renewed. For returnability to Indonesia the holder must have obtained an exit/re-entry permit before leaving Indonesia, allowing return within a stated period, irrespective of the period of validity of the document.
2. Travel Document in lieu of Passport for Aliens consists of a double sheet printed in Indonesian and English. It is valid until the date shown on the first page, and is not renewable.

Iran
A Laissez-Passer is issued to non-nationals. It is usually valid for one year and states that the bearer must leave Iran within a specified period (normally three months from the date of issue) and it may also be valid for return within three or twelve months. In exceptional cases, a Laissez-Passer may be issued outside Iran. These documents are usually valid for 20 days and are taken from the bearer on arrival in Iran.

Iraq
Three documents are issued:

1. A Nansen Certificate of Identity to White Russian refugees. This is valid for one year. It is not valid for return without a visa, and ceases to be valid if the holder enters Russian territory.
2. A Laissez-Passer, to other persons of unidentified nationality, Palestinians, and those who have no representatives in Iraq. It is white. It is usually valid for one year but is not valid for return. When denationalised Jews are being deported it may be endorsed ‘Not valid for return to Iraq’. If it is endorsed ‘There is no objection that bearer be granted another Laissez-Passer for return to Iraq’, Iraqi Consuls will act accordingly and holders can always apply abroad for a new document on which to return; being liable to a fine if they return on the old document without so applying.
3. A Travel Document for Palestinian Refugees. It has a dark blue stiff cover. The document is valid for five years but has to be extended annually, Iraqi Consuls can grant extensions and renewals. It entitles the holder to return to Iraq.

Ireland
Two documents are issued:

1. A travel document is issued under the 1951 Convention for refugees. This has a blue cover (with the usual two black bands).
2. A travel document issued to stateless persons and refugees from war zones agreed by the Government (soft blue cover).

Israel
Two documents are issued:

1. Travel document in lieu of national passport of sixteen pages with a soft, orange cover, issued to new Jewish immigrants who have been granted Israeli citizenship but not yet afforded passport facilities. Holders require a visa for the United Kingdom.
2. Travel document of sixteen pages with a soft brown cover issued to non-Israeli’s resident in Israel or the Occupied Territories. Holders require a visa for the United Kingdom.

Italy
Four documents are issued:

1. Documento di Viaggio, under the 1951 Convention, for refugees, having a grey cover without the two usual black bands. It is printed in Italian and French. The document is generally valid for not more than 12 months and must have a re-entry visa which can be valid from 3 to 12 months and for single or multiple re-entry. The document and/or the re-entry visa can be renewed abroad for not more than six months after reference.
2. Certificato d’Identita, issued in the rare cases of former Italians who have lost a second nationality and are stateless persons, not refugees under conventions, and do not qualify for refugee documents. The document is printed on rather coarse white paper, and the left-hand edge is serrated where it has been detached from a counterfoil. It is valid for one year and must have a visa or re-entry visa to be valid for return.
3. Titolo di Viaggio per Stranieri is issued with a medium grey cover to persons with a specific nationality other than Italian; and with an olive green cover to stateless persons.
4. Titolo di Viaggio under the 1954 Convention having a pink stiff cover with black lettering. It is printed in Italian and French. It is generally valid for a year, has space for four renewals and requires a re-entry visa which must be valid for at least three months and may be for several re-entries.

Jamaica
Two documents are issued:

1. Emergency Certificate: a small double sheet of stiff white paper. It is issued to a Commonwealth citizen for travel to a place within the Commonwealth, and is valid for a single journey and for return to Jamaica if so endorsed.
2. Permit under the Jamaica Passport Law: two small double sheets of stiff white paper secured by staples; it is issued to a person who is not a citizen of Jamaica. It is valid for one year in the first instance and may be renewed for a further year if the holder fails to obtain a national passport. If he/she is a permanent resident of Jamaica and considered stateless the document is made valid for two years. The holder of a permit who is not a Commonwealth citizen requires a visa to return to Jamaica. Such a visit, if issued to a resident, is normally valid for six months and may be extended to the validity of the permit itself without reference. A non-resident is granted a visa for return up to the date on which his/her permission to remain in Jamaica expires. Any application abroad for an extension must be referred. If the permit holder is a Commonwealth citizen resident in Jamaica, the permit will bear an endorsement permitting his/her return.

Japan
Two documents are issued:

1. Re-entry permits to Japan are issued by the Japanese Ministry of Justice to stateless persons resident in Japan and to aliens who are unable to obtain passports or other official travel documents from their own governments, to enable them to be granted visas or re-entry visas (not Japanese). The re-entry permit has a soft brown cover with gold lettering and contains 12 pages. It is printed in Japanese and English and pages 4-7 are for use by the Japanese Immigration Authority only and show the date of expiry of the permit.
2. Refugee Travel documents are issued by the Ministry of Justice, under the 1951 Convention, to aliens resident in Japan who have been recognised as refugees and who wish to travel overseas. It has a soft blue cover with gold lettering and contains 32 pages. It is printed in Japanese and English. A re-entry visa is required. Stateless residents of Japan who wish to travel to countries with whom Japan does not have diplomatic relations normally travel either on documents issued by the International Red Cross or on such documents as affidavits.

Jordan
Emergency passports are issued by Jordanian Embassies abroad to enable Jordanian citizens only to return home. Palestinians resident in the West Bank and Gaza hold ordinary passports with a restricted validity of two years, renewable on expiry. This document provides for returnability to Jordan. Extension abroad is subject to reference to Amman. They are allowed into the Kingdom as visitors and special permits are required if the holder intends to take up long term residency.

Kazakhstan

1. Person’s Certificate. This document has stiff brown covers and consists of 10 pages (including the inside front and back cover).
2. Red Cross/Red Crescent Certificate for travel abroad. This document has stiff grey covers with lettering and cross and crescent symbols in red. It contains 14 pages, and specifies the country of destination.

Both these documents are valid for return to Kazakhstan provided the holders possess exit/re-entry visas, which normally consist of a sheet of stiff paper giving inter alia the holder’s particulars and the number of his travel document.

Kenya
Two documents are issued:

1. Certificate of Identity: a double foolscap sheet of white paper, printed in English and French. It is issued to persons who are unable to obtain national passports and is not valid for return to Kenya unless endorsed with a re-entry pass.
2. Emergency Certificate: a single sheet of white paper. It is issued to enable a person to return to his country of domicile and is not valid for return to Kenya.

Kirgizstan

1. Stateless Person’s Certificate. This document has stiff brown covers and consists of 10 pages (including the inside front and back cover).
2. Red Cross/Red Crescent Certificate for travel abroad. This document has stiff grey covers with lettering and cross and crescent symbols in red. It contains 14 pages, and specifies the country of destination.

Both these documents are valid for return to Kirgizstan provided the holders possess exit/re-entry visas, which normally consist of a sheet of stiff paper giving inter alia the holder’s particulars and the number of his travel document.

Korea (South)
Two documents issued:

1. Refugee travel document, issued by the Ministry of Justice, under the 1951 Geneva Convention. The document contains 32 pages, is valid for one year, and can be extended for up to six months. They are valid for travel to specified countries only.
2. Travel Certificate, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to certain stateless persons. The Certificate is in a passport format. It has a dark blue cover with gold lettering on the front and contains eight pages. It is valid for one journey only.

Kuwait
Two documents are issued:

1. A Laissez-passer is granted to stateless persons, like the Palestinians, who have lived in Kuwait without a passport. It has a brown cover and is valid for one journey only. A re-entry permit is required. The document cannot be renewed abroad.
2. "Article 17 Passport" issued by the Kuwait Government. This is identical to the full passport, except that it carries an endorsement on the observation page and an authenticating stamp on a visa page towards the back of the passport. The "Article 17" passport is mainly issued to non-Kuwaitis or to the wife of a Kuwaiti who is of non-Kuwaiti origin. It is also granted to the ‘Bedouns’ and is valid for several journeys. The "Article 17" passport is also granted as a primary document for those who will eventually obtain a full Kuwaiti passport. The "Article 17" passport does not need either a residence permit or a return visa.

Laos
A Certificat d’Identite is issued, in the form of a double sheet of white stiff paper. This permits re-entry within oneyear of issue, and it has be renewed after each journey.

Lebanon
Two documents are in use. They may not be renewed by Lebanese Missions overseas without reference to the Surete General. They are not valid for return to the Lebanon unless endorsed to that effect.

1. A Document de Voyage pour les Refugies Palestiniens’. It has stiff brown covers with 62 brown pages.
2. A Laissez-passer issued to stateless persons other than those of Palestinian origin. It has stiff brown covers and 62 brown pages.

Lesotho
Certificate of Identity: a booklet with a stiff plastic cover. It is issued to stateless persons living in Lesotho and is usually valid for three years, renewable for a further two. The period during which the holder may return to Lesotho is specified on page 4 and is usually the same as the validity of the document.

Liberia
Three documents are issued:

1. A travel document issued only to displaced Africans. This has a brown stiff cover. Its validity is stated on the fourth page.
2. A travel document under the 1946 Agreement. This has a light grey cardboard cover (with the usual two black bands). Its validity is stated on the first page and it allows automatic return during that period.
3. A travel document issued under the 1954 Convention. This has a blue card cover. Its validity and the period of returnability are given on page 1.

Libya
Two documents are issued:

1. A temporary travel document, opening from left to right printed in Arabic and English, with a pliable dark green cover with gold lettering and a gold eagle crest. (The eagle’s head looks to its left unlike the crest on ordinary Libyan passports). It has 32 pages all covered with an intricate design in greenish grey. It is valid for return to Libya within twelve months, without a visa. It is issued to Libyans who have lost their passports, stateless persons, refugees and sometimes to persons with a nationality other than Libyan.
2. A travel document for Palestinian refugees, opening from left to right and printed in Arabic, with a pliable olive green plastic cover with gold lettering and small gold eagle crest. Below the crest is an outline of the map of Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza strip, and Arabic writing within the outline. It has 32 pages all covered with a design in green. It is made valid for twelve months at a time and may be extended by Libyan Consuls abroad. The holder requires a return visa to Libya and a residence permit.

Liechtenstein
A "travel permit for foreigners without identification papers" is issued to aliens who have Liechtenstein residence permits but are unable to obtain a national passport. It has a soft brown cover and is printed in German, French and English. It has a normal validity of two years but is restricted to coincide with the validity of the exit permit and requires a return visa. It can only be issued or extended in Vaduz.

Luxembourg
Four documents are issued:

1. A Titre de Voyage, under the 1951 Convention, for refugees. This has a blue-grey stiff cover (with the usual two black bands), and is printed in French and English. The document is normally valid for either one or two years, and only exceptionally renewable, and then only at home and for a maximum of six months.
2. Titre de Voyage, issued under the 1954 Convention relating to the status of stateless persons. It has a brown cover with gold lettering, contains 32 pages and is printed in French and English. This document is valid for a period shown on Page 1, and authorises return to Luxembourg during that period.
3. Titre d’Identite de Voyage, issued under Grand Ducal decrees of May 31 1934, to establish stateless aliens. This has a semi-stiff light purple cover, and is printed in French. The document is initially valid for one year and can be renewed only at home for two further years.
4. Titre d’Identite et de Voyage, for aliens wishing to return after a short period and usually for refugees who wish to visit their native country to settle their affairs and then to return for permanent domicile. It is a single white sheet of paper.

Documents (a), (b), (c) and (d) allow automatic return while they are valid. Should a holder stay abroad after the expiry of the document he must apply to the local authorities for a travel document and then to a Luxembourg Consul for a visa to return.

Macao
Two documents are issued.

1. Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Passport, issued to those with a minimum of 7 years’ residence in Macao
2. MSAR Travel Permit for those with less than 7 years’ residence, (primarily issued to people moving to Macao from mainland China after Portugal handed Macao back to the Chinese in December 1999).

Malawi
Five documents are issued:

1. Emergency Certificate (for travel to Malawi): a single sheet of blue paper, issued to enable a Malawi citizen who is without a passport to return home.
2. Emergency Certificate (for travel from Malawi): a single sheet of grey paper, issued to enable a Commonwealth citizen who is without a passport to travel abroad. It is not valid for return to Malawi.
3. Aliens Emergency Certificate: a single sheet of white paper, similar to the preceding certificate, but for aliens.
4. Certificate of Identity: a single sheet of grey paper. It is issued to persons of any nationality who are resident in Malawi but have no national passport, or require proof that they will be readmitted to Malawi. It is valid for return without a visa.
5. Malawi Certificate of Identity (1990). Black stiff cover contains 16 pages rainbow printed in green/orange/green vertical bands.

Malaysia
Certificate of Identity: a brown, soft-covered booklet issued to residents of Malaysia who are stateless or cannot obtain a national passport. It is valid for twelve months, is normally endorsed for the country or countries to which the holder wishes to travel and is good for return to Malaysia only when it bears a separate re-entry permit and visa, the period of which may be shorter than the validity of the document itself.

Malta
A certificate of identity is issued on 2 sheets of paper valid for a single journey.

Mauritius
A Certificate of Identity: a double foolscap sheet, issued to persons who have no national passport. It is valid for return to Mauritius as long as it remains valid.

Mexico
The travel document, Documento de Identitdad y Viaje, is issued to persons with temporary or permanent residence status in Mexico who are stateless, or are political refugees, or whose countries have not diplomatic or consular representation in Mexico. It is in passport form with a soft dark red plastic cover bearing the Mexican emblem and title printed in gold.

The maximum validity is one year, and in the case of political refugees validity is restricted to the period authorised by the Ministry of Home Affairs for the holder to be out of the country. The document cannot be renewed abroad, and is valid for re-entry to Mexico only if it contains a visa for such re-entry.

Moldova

1. Stateless Person’s Certificate. This document has stiff brown covers and consists of 10 pages (including the inside front and back cover). Printed entirely in Russian apart from inside front cover in French "Union Des Republiques Sovietiques Certificat d’Apatrid."
2. Red Cross/Red Crescent Certificate for travel abroad. This document has stiff grey covers with lettering and cross and crescent symbols in red. It contains 14 pages, and specifies the country of destination. Pages not numbered. Holder’s personal details in English and French on 2 separate pages.

Both these documents are valid for return to Moldova provided the holders possess exit/re-entry visas, which normally consist of a sheet of stiff paper giving inter alia the holder’s particulars and the number of his travel document.

Monaco
A Titre de Voyage, under the 1951 Convention, for refugees, is issued. This has a bright red cover (which has the usual two black bands), and is printed in French and English. The document is usually valid for one or two years but never less than three months. It allows automatic return for at least three months, until the date shown at the bottom of page 1, unless a later date is specified on another page.

Morocco
Three documents are issued, all of which require a re-entry visa, which can be obtained from a Moroccan representative abroad after reference to Rabat:

1. A Titre de Voyage, under the 1951 Convention, for refugees. This has a blue cover, with the usual two black bands, and is printed in Arabic and French. Page 1 shows the validity of the document and re-entry facilities.
2. A Titre de Voyage for stateless persons. This is a grey card folded to form four pages. It has a maximum validity of two years and can be renewed by a Moroccan representative abroad after reference to Rabat.
3. Laissez-passer on one sheet of white paper.

Mozambique
Five documents are issued:

1. A Travel Document (‘Documento do Viagem’) for Mozambicans working abroad. It has a stiff green cover and 20 pages. The document is valid for return without a visa.
2. An Aliens Emergency Certificate (Certificado de Emergencia para Estrangeiros) to enable foreigners to leave Mozambique which contains 16 pages and has a soft green cover. It does not confer any automatic right of return to Mozambique.
3. A Titre de Voyage issued under the 1951 Convention which contains 36 pages and has a stiff blue cover with two black bands across the top left hand corner. It is valid for one year with 3 months returnability and cannot be issued or renewed abroad. It is printed in Portuguese, French and English.
4. An emergency certificate (Certificado de Emergencia) is issued to Mozambique nationals in lieu of a passport. It has 12 pages with a soft blue cover. The document is valid for 12 months, has restricted geographical validity and allows re-entry into Mozambique.
5. Salvo-Conduto (Laisser Passer) card folded in 3. Mozambique crest on front border around card made up of separate lines in red/black/red and yellow.

Netherlands
Three documents are issued:

1. A Passport for Aliens (Passport voor Vreemdelingen) for persons unable to obtain a national passport and not qualified to obtain a Reisdocument. The document has a green cover and is printed in Dutch, English and French. The document is initially valid for three years (but in some cases may be for a shorter period) and can be renewed abroad for one year on specific authority from The Hague. Return visas are not required provided the holder possesses either a Netherlands residence permit or a ‘permit to stay’ (Vergunning tot Verblijf). Return visas are required for the Netherland Antilles. Not valid after 1.4.96.
2. A Facilities Passport (Faciliteiten Paspoort) printed in Dutch, French and English, similar in every detail to the National Passport except that a reference is printed on page 1 under Nationality to page 5 (additions and observations by Netherlands Authorities) and on page 5 "Treated as Netherlands citizen pursuant to Act of 9-9-76, sub-para 468" is printed (in Dutch, French and English). In practice these Facilities Passports are issued only to South Moluccans who have settled in the Netherlands. At present only Belgium and Luxembourg accept the passport without a visa having been stamped on it.
3. Laisser Passer printed in Dutch, English and French. Blue cover contains 8 pages.

New Zealand
Two documents are issued:

1. Certificate of Identity: a double sheet of white foolscap, issued to persons who are unable to obtain national passports. It is normally valid for two years and may be renewed for further periods totalling four years. It may not be renewed abroad but only in Wellington, providing the holder has not become resident in another country or obtained another passport. It is not valid for return to New Zealand without a re-entry permit.
2. Travel Document under the 1951 Convention: a booklet with stiff blue-grey covers with two black bands across the top left-hand corner. It is normally valid for four years and is good for return to New Zealand within the period stated in the document. It may only be renewed in Wellington (provided the holder has not become resident in another country or obtained another passport).

Nicaragua
Non-represented aliens, stateless persons or refugees are issued with a ‘salvo conducto’ or exit permit, which allows them to leave Nicaragua. These permits are single pieces of paper giving personal details and which become invalid once the holder has left Nicaraguan territory.

Nigeria
Two documents are issued:

1. Emergency Certificate: a single sheet of white paper issued to persons who have no national passport. It is made valid for a period determined by the circumstances of the holder.
2. Travel Document under the 1951 Convention: a booklet with a stiff, blue cover, printed in black and containing 32 grey pages. It is valid for return to Nigeria without a visa if so endorsed on page 1.

Norway
Two documents are issued:

1. From 1 January 1994, a Reisebevis issued under the 1951 Convention for refugees legally resident in Norway which has a dark green cover (with the usual two black bands) and is printed in Norwegian, English and French. The document is valid for one or two years and may be renewed abroad, after reference to Oslo for up to six months. Generally the document allows automatic return for so long as it itself is valid, although exceptionally the period of this facility may be shorter than the period of validity of the document, but never less than three months.
2. From 1 January 1994, an Immigrants Passport (Utlendingspass) issued to persons not covered by the Refugee Convention of 1951 (usually refugees who have been refused asylum but granted residence on humanitarian grounds). It is dark blue in colour and printed in Norwegian and English.

Validity of these documents varies. Although return visas are not strictly speaking required, they are sometimes issued in an Utlendingspass.

Pacific Islands Trust Territory: See USA

Panama
Two documents are issued:

1. The Passport Section of the Ministry of Government and Justice issue a ‘Safe-conduct’ in the form of a folded double foolscap sheet of white paper completely over-printed with the words ‘SERVICIO DE PASAPORTES REPUBLICA DE PANAMA’ printed in tiny block letters and repeated ad infinitum in light green ink to give a pale-green effect with the coat of arms of the Republic of Panama printed four times on each page, almost like a water-mark. The Safe-conduct is numbered and gives full details of the holder including photograph, right thumb print and signature. It is valid for one year, but renewable for a further year, at the request of the holder.
2. The Panamanian authorities also issue "special passports" mainly to third country nationals of independent means. The passports state "at no time will the possession of this special passport be considered as recognition of Panamanian nationality". The holders of such passports should therefore be treated as nationals of their previous nationality.

Papua New Guinea
Certificate of Identity: a booklet with a light blue cover comprising of 12 pages. It is valid for return to Papua New Guinea so long as it remains valid, and is issued to persons who do not hold a national passport.

Paraguay
Three documents are issued:

1. A Salvo-conducto is issued. This is a plain white vellum piece of paper, bearing in the top left-hand corner a small seal with the words "Republica del Paraguay", immediately below being the words "Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores", the document is signed by the Sub-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and the Sub-Secretariat put their rubber stamp on the holder’s photograph affixed in the bottom left-hand corner. A seal of the Republic is impressed on the centre of the document when it is issued. The maximum period of validity is 12 months, and the document may be renewed abroad. By itself it is not valid for return, a separate Certificado de Retorno being required for production to enable a visa to be granted on the Salvo-conducto.
2. In addition, the grey Paraguayan Special Passport is sometimes issued as a travel document with an endorsement on page 8 indicating that it is issued as such and that the holder is not recognised as a Paraguayan national. Like the Savlo-conducto, it is not valid for return, and a visa should not be granted on this document unless the holder possesses a Certificado de Retorno.
3. Documento De Viaje. Blue cover (no stripe) gold embossed wording in Spanish and English 32 pages.

Peru
Two documents are issued:

1. A Salvo-conducto de Viaje, issued under the 1951 Convention. It has a dark brown soft imitation leather cover bearing the Peruvian coat of arms and is printed in Spanish and English. It is valid for one year and requires an exit and re-entry permit.
2. A Salvo-conducto consisting of a double sheet of green security paper. Initially valid for six months (twelve months for travellers to USA and Brazil), the document can be renewed abroad for a further period of six months but expires after twelve months. A visa is required for return to Peru which may be granted by a Peruvian Consul on presentation of a re-entry permit obtainable before departure.

Philippines
Two documents are issued:

1. A Travel Document is issued in the form of a light brown booklet. It is valid for one year and it can be held by Filipino nationals travelling as members of a party. Aliens holding this document require a re-entry permit for return to the Philippines.
2. Certificates of Identity are also issued, but only for direct travel to the Philippines. Their validity and the purpose of issue is usually stated. These documents are issued to persons whose nationality has still to be determined, and not to stateless aliens.

Poland
Two documents are issued to foreigners normally resident in Poland who are unable to obtain national passports.

1. Travel Documents with a dark blue, soft plastic cover with the initials RP (Rzeczpospolita Polska : Republic of Poland) and the words "Dokument Podrozy" in silver. The document will be endorsed for a single exit, single exit and return, or multiple exits/returns. The last category is normally only given to those who have been granted permanent residence in Poland. Such persons should also have Polish identity cards (Dowod Osobisty) - a green, soft cover document, with state emblem and wording in silver.
2. Refugee Travel Document: these are based on the UNHCR model. They have a light blue, hard cover with two black stripes across the top left-hand corner. The Polish state emblem and words "Rzeczpospolita Polska" (Republic of Poland) are in silver. The words "Travel Document" in English and French, are in black lettering. The document allows re-entry into Poland.

The above documents are issued: (i) to replace lost or stolen passports from nationals of non-represented countries; (ii) where the applicant’s own mission refuses to issue a replacement passport (mainly Middle East countries); (iii) to refugees.

Portugal
Two documents are issued:

1. A linen-backed 32 page booklet with a green-grey cover clearly marked ‘Passaporte para Estrangeiros’ is issued to stateless aliens or to foreigners without consular representation. The document is valid for two years and the holder may return to Portugal providing he/she is in possession of a valid residence permit. Otherwise a visa for Portugal must be obtained.
2. A Travel Document with a blue cover (and the usual two black stripes) is issued under the 1951 Convention. The document is printed in Portuguese, French and English.

Qatar
Two documents are issued:

1. A Travel Document issued to foreigners who have certain connections with Qatar. It has a blue cover, is issued for one year but may be valid for only one return journey.
2. A Travel Document issued to foreigners as in (a). It is a sheet of white paper and is valid for only one return journey.

Visas are required by holders of these documents even if their nationality is shown as ‘Qatari’.

Romania
Two documents are issued:

1. Passport for persons without citizenship. A 12-page booklet with stiff brown covers, printed in Romanian, Russian and French, it is issued to persons who are not Romanian citizens and are leaving Romania permanently. It is normally valid for departure only.
2. A titre De Voyage, 1951 Convention Document. Soft dark blue colour, 32 pages valid for re-entry until date specified in document.

Russia (Russian Federation)

1. Stateless Person’s Certificate. This document has stiff brown covers and consists of 10 pages (including the inside front and back cover).
2. Red Cross/Red Crescent Certificate for travel abroad. This document has stiff grey covers with lettering and cross and crescent symbols in red. It contains 14 pages, and specifies the country of destination.

Both these documents are valid for return to Russia provided the holders possess exit/re-entry visas, which normally consist of a sheet of stiff paper giving inter alia the holder’s particulars and the number of his travel document.

Rwanda
A Titre de Voyage is issued consisting of a single sheet of pink paper. It is valid for return to Rwanda without a re-entry visa.

It is issued to the following categories:

1. Foreigners normally resident in Rwanda who are deprived of their passports or travel documents.
2. Foreigners who have sent their passports outside Rwanda for an extension because their country has no representative in Rwanda.
3. Foreigners whose passports have been lost, stolen etc, to enable them to travel in order to obtain replacement.
4. Refugees resident in Rwanda, and who are recognised as such by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
5. Persons of foreign parentage born and still resident in Rwanda, who have neither acquired Rwandan citizenship nor sought to claim the citizenship of either of their parents.

Saint Lucia
A double page Certificate of Identity on yellow paper is issued to stateless persons.

Saudi Arabia
A document, described on the front cover as Laissez-Passer and in Arabic as Travel Document for Foreigners, is issued. It has 16 blue pages and a green stiff paper cover.

It is usually valid for one trip and not valid for return without a re-entry visa. Where the holder has applied for Saudi Arabian nationality, the document is valid for a year and bears an endorsement to the effect that he is allowed to return. In cases where renewal is authorised, the document may be valid for up to a year and the holder may return at any time during its validity.

Sierra Leone
Emergency Travel Certificate: a document on the lines of the British Emergency Passport. It may be issued to non-citizens, is normally valid only for one specific journey and is not good for return to Sierra Leone unless it is so endorsed or bears a re-entry visa.

NB: Sierra Leone passports, in which the holder is described as a ‘Commonwealth Citizen’, were previously issued and may occasionally be encountered. The holder of such a passport may be either the citizen of another Commonwealth country not represented in Freetown or a person born in Sierra Leone who has lost Sierra Leone citizenship as a result of the 1962 Constitutional Amendment. Persons in this latter category are in all probability stateless and have no claim to be treated as Commonwealth citizens.

Singapore
Certificate of Identity: a booklet of 32 or 48 pages with a limp, dark green cover with gold lettering. For return to Singapore, a re-entry permit is required.

Slovak Republic
The Slovak Republic, which gained independence from the Czech abd Slovak Federal Republic in 1993, is also called Slovakia.

From 1 April 2002 the following travel documents for aliens are used:-

1. The Travel Document within the meaning of the Convention of 28 July 1951 (32 pages).
2. The Travel Document within the meaning of the Convention of 28 September 1954 (32 pages).
3. The Alien's passport(16 pages).

The documents are of standard passport size and shape. The cover is plastic with board paper. Inner pages and the cover are fixed together by a thread. The covers are plastic for all three documents. Ther are blue (the Travel Document within the meaning of the Convention of 28 July 1951), dark blue (the Travel Document within the meaning of the Convention of 28 September 1954) and black (the ALien's Passport). On the cover there is a gold embossed coat of arms of the Slovak Republic and text with the inscription "SLOVENSKA REPUBLICA" (Slovak Republic) in Slovak, English and French. Across the top left-hand corner of the document are two gold-embossed strips.

South Africa (Republic of)
A document for Travel Purposes (Dokument vir Reisdoeleindes: Document de Voyage), of the same size as the national passport, but black in colour, comprising 32 pink watermarked pages is issued in lieu of a national passport. Its possession in no way affects the nationality of the bearer. It is valid for travel to all countries, unless otherwise endorsed, subject to the visa and entry requirements of each country. The holder is authorised to return to the Republic of South Africa on or before the document’s expiry date. It may be renewed for further periods beyond the original period of validity up to a maximum of three years. If the holder takes up residence in a country other than the Republic of South Africa and wishes to travel again, he/she must apply to the authorities of that country for a new document.

If the holder of the above document is described as a national of a ‘homeland’ (e.g. Bophuthatswana, Transkei, Ciskei or Venda) the document is valid until its expiry date, at which stage the holder will be advised to obtain a full South African passport.

Spain
Two documents are issued:

1. A ‘Documento de Viaje’ issued under the 1951 Convention on Refugees. It has a blue cover (with the usual black bands), contains 36 pages and is printed in Spain. Although this document is normally only valid for one journey, it may be endorsed allowing the holder multiple journeys. The period during which the holder may return to Spain is shown on page 2.
2. A document entitled ‘Titulo de Viaje’ which is issued to refugees and stateless persons. It consists of a 24 page booklet with a brown cover and it is good for travel to all countries except those specified on page 5 (normally only the country of origin of the holder). It is issued for a period of twelve months, and normally valid for one journey, although it may be endorsed allowing multiple journeys. A visa is not required for return to Spain. The travel document cannot be issued or renewed outside Spain.

Sri Lanka
Two documents are issued:

1. Emergency Certificate (EC): a maroon coloured, machine readable document after the style of the Sri Lankan passport and Certificate of Identity. ECs are issued at Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi only to Sri Lankan citizens. The old style EC (booklet with a soft black linen cover) may still be issued for urgent travel at other overseas posts while old stocks last and in lieu of a Certificate of Identity until a regular passport can be issued. In this case, the EC will bear the following endorsement: "Issued in lieu of Identity Certificate. (signed) Competent Authority. Name of Post. Date and Year" and the validity will be restricted to a very limited period. ECs issued without this endorsement in Colombo, Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi are valid for India and Nepal only and are valid initially for two years, but may be extended up to a maximum of four years.
2. Identity Certificate: a booklet with soft brick-red cover. It is issued to persons who are unable to obtain national passports and is normally made valid for two years, although this may be restricted to a lesser period and a specified number of journeys. The document is not valid for return to Sri Lanka unless it has an endorsement or visa or is used in conjunction with a valid residence visa.

Sudan
A hard-backed document entitled ‘Titre de Voyage’, in a blue cover with two black bands in the top left-hand corner or top right hand corner, depending on whether the document opens left to right or right to left, issued under the 1951 Convention. It is initially valid for one year. The document can be renewed abroad, and while valid automatically entitles the holder to re-entry.

Sweden
Two documents are issued:

1. A Framlingspass (Aliens Passport) issued primarily to stateless residents. It has a limp grey cover with gold lettering, contains 32 pages and is printed in Swedish and English. It is normally valid for three years and can be extended on up to four separate occasions. It should be endorsed with a vignette style residence permit which would normally be a certificate of permanent residence which also confers the right of re-entry.
2. A Resedocument, issued under the 1951 Convention. It has a limp green cardboard cover with gold lettering and two gold bands printed diagonally across the top left hand corner and is printed in Swedish, English and French. It is generally valid for two years and should contain a vignette style permanent residence permit and can be extended on up to four separate occasions.

Switzerland
Three documents are issued:

1. Passport pour Etrangers, for non-nationals of permanent residence. This has a dark red cover, and is printed in German, French and Italian. During its validity, normally one year, it permits the holder to return. It can always be renewed while the holder resides in Switzerland, but express authority is required for renewal abroad.
2. Titre de Voyage, under the 1951 Convention for refugees. This has a dark blue cover (which has the usual two white bands), and is printed in German, French, Italian and English. Initially valid, usually for one year, it can be renewed at any time while holder resides in Switzerland, but express authority is required for renewal abroad. The document permits the holder to return while it is valid, although in exceptional cases a lesser period may apply after which a return visa is required.
3. Certificat d’Identite, for aliens who, unable to obtain national passports, do not qualify for the two preceding documents. This has a grey cover, and is printed in German, French and Italian. Usually valid for one year and, requiring a return visa, it can be renewed at any time while the holder resides in Switzerland, but express authority is required for renewal abroad.

Syrian Arab Republic
Four documents are issued:

1. Travel document for Palestinian refugees, having a blue cover. The document is valid initially for two or four years. If valid for two years it may be extended twice for periods of two years. If valid for four years it may be extended once, for a two year period.
2. A document similar to the above with a dark green cover. Initially valid for 2 years, renewable for two further periods of 2 years each.
3. Laissez-Passer, for stateless persons and those who have applied for and not yet obtained Syrian nationality,having a brown stiff cover, endorsed in Arabic and French Laissez-Passer. The document is valid for one year and renewable for further yearly periods until full (but when issued to foreigners whose government is not represented in Syria and whose passports are lost or expired, it is valid only for return to the holder’s own country). The document may be renewed abroad after reference home, but is not valid for return unless endorsed with a return visa.
4. Nansen Certificate, for persons of undefined nationality or considered refugees, under international agreements (White Russians, Armenians, Assyrians and Chaldeans, who can no longer retain their original nationality and reside in Syria). This document is normally valid for one year and renewable abroad after reference home, but is not valid for return unless endorsed with a return visa.

Tajikistan
Until national documents are prepared, stateless persons with legal permanent residence in Tajikistan are issued with former Soviet Union travel documents.

1. Stateless Person’s Certificate. This document has stiff brown covers and consists of 10 pages (including the inside front and back cover).
2. Red Cross/Red Crescent Certificate for travel abroad. This document has stiff grey covers with lettering and cross and crescent symbols in red. It contains 14 pages, and specifies the country of destination.

Both these documents are valid for return to Tajikistan provided the holders possess exit/re-entry visas, which normally consist of a sheet of stiff paper giving inter alia the holder’s particulars and the number of his travel document.

Tanzania
Three documents are issued:

1. An Aliens Travel Document: a booklet with a hard cover coloured apple green. It has 16 pages, in white, and is valid for one year, apparently renewable abroad. It does not carry automatic returnability to Tanzania nor any exemption from Tanzanian immigration requirements for aliens.
2. There is a second Aliens Travel Document with a light grey hard cover and 16 white pages overprinted with ‘Alien Travel Document’. It is specifically issued to ‘freedom fighters’ and members of ‘liberation groups’. It cannot be issued or renewed outside Tanzania. The holder is entitled to re-enter Tanzania.
3. A ‘Shahada ya Dharura’ (Emergency Travel Document) consisting of a single sheet of blue paper. It is issued to Tanzanians and others who do not possess passports, or whose passports have been withdrawn. It is valid for entry into Tanzania only if endorsed to that effect.

Thailand
Two documents are issued:

1. A travel document for aliens which has a limp yellow cover with gold lettering and 16 pages. This is issued to resident stateless persons. It is valid for one year and may be renewed for a further period not exceeding one year. Up to six Thai re-entry permits may be endorsed in the document by rubber stamp. It is not valid for re-entry into Thailand without such a permit.
2. An Emergency Certificate consisting of a single sheet of paper, valid only for a single journey and not renewable.

Tonga
Tongan Protected Persons (TPP) Passport: a passport issued to persons who acquire the status of TPP under the Passport (Amendment) Act 1982. It has a stiff plastic cover coloured dark green and has 48 pages. It should not be confused with a standard Tongan passport which can have either a hard cover or a similar stiff plastic cover, also coloured dark green, but contains 32 pages. On page 1 of Tongan passports the holder is described as "A Tongan Subject by birth" or ‘by naturalisation’. TPP passports use the description "Tonga Protected Person" on the inside of the front cover. A TPP passport is normally valid for 5 years and may be renewed for a further 5 years.

Holders of TPP passports require a visa to enter Tonga. The Home Office have declared that a TPP passport is not a non-national travel document; although it may adequately establish identity it does not satisfactorily establish nationality or citizenship. ECOs should, therefore, seek other documentary evidence to establish the holder’s nationality. If this shows that the holder of a TPP passport is a visa national he will require a visa which may, if granted, be placed in the TPP passport. Stateless persons holding TPP passports do not, however, require visas but are recommended to apply for a letter of consent. Entry Certificates should not, in any circumstances, be granted to holders of TPP passports.

Note: Extreme caution should be exercised in dealing with holders of TPP passports and all applications should be referred.

Trinidad and Tobago
Certificate of Identity: a 32-page document resembling a passport, with a soft grey cover bearing the Trinidad and Tobago coat of arms and lettering in gold. Valid for 10 years unless otherwise stated. The holder does not require a visa in order to return to Trinidad and Tobago.

Certificates of identity are issued to stateless persons, Commonwealth Citizens and aliens resident in Trinidad and Tobago, who do not qualify for TT passports and are unable to obtain or renew a national passport from their country of origin. They are also issued to foreign nationals who have lost passports and are travelling home via a country which does not recognise an emergency passport. In such cases the validity of the document is restricted.

Tunisia
Two documents are issued:

1. A 16 page laissez-passer. It has a grey cover and is printed in French.
2. A travel document is issued under the 1951 convention for refugees. It has a blue cover (with two black diagonal lines across the top left corner). Printed in Arabic and French.

Turkey
Two documents are issued:

1. The travel document issued to non-nationals, being precisely similar in colour and form to a Turkish national passport (but for a rubber stamp on the first page indicating in Turkish and French that the document is for foreigners), has a dark blue plastic cover. Valid for six months, the document is not renewable abroad unless special instructions are sent to the consulate concerned, which only occurs in the case of stateless foreigners employed by the Turkish Government. It is valid for return, if so annotated, within the six months’ period. Holders of these documents should be treated as stateless regardless of any nationality (e.g. Turkish Cypriot) shown in the document.
2. A travel document issued under the 1951 Convention, for refugees. It has a blue cloth cover, with two black diagonal lines across the top left corner and the wording Seyahat Vesikasi de Voyage (Convention de 28 Juillet, 1951). On page 2 is an indication of the period for which the document is valid for return to Turkey.

Turkmenistan
Other than the national passport, Turkmenistan issues two other travel documents.

1. A permanent Resident Certificate is issued to foreigners and stateless persons who have permanent residence in Turkmenistan. This document has 22 pages, a stiff green colour with the national symbol (an eight-pointed star, wheat, the five regional symbols and a horse) on the front. The cover has the wording "Permanent Resident Certificate" in Turkmen and English.
2. A refugee Certificate issued to refugees under the protection of the State throughout the territory of Turkmenistan. This has 26 pages in total and is also green with the national symbol as above. The cover bears the words "Refugee Certificate" in Turkmen and English.

Ukraine
A "Certificate of a Stateless person for foreign travel" (Stateless Travel Document) is issued. Until national documents are prepared, stateless persons with legal permanent residence in the Ukraine are issued with former Soviet Union travel documents.

1. Stateless Travel Document. This document is grey in colour.

United States of America
Two documents are issued:

1. A U.S. Refugee travel document is issued under the 1951 Convention to stateless aliens resident in the USA, normally valid for return there without a visa during its period of validity. It is worded in English only, has a semi-stiff blue cover and contains 24 pages.
2. A U.S. Re-entry permit is issued to resident aliens and is valid for return there without a visa during its period of validity. It has a semi-stiff ivory cover, contains 24 pages and is worded in English only.

United States of America (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
A blue passport, lettered in gold, is issued by the Office of the High Commissioner of the Pacific Islands at Trust Territory headquarters at Saipan, Mariana Islands. An official passport, with a black cover, is also issued. Returnability is implicit in the issue of Trust Territory passports, within their validity.

The holder is described as a citizen or inhabitant of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands and is entitled to receive diplomatic and consular protection of the United States of America. The passport is normally valid for five years. It is not valid for travel to Albania, Cuba "and those portions of China, Korea and Vietnam under Communist Control".

All persons born in the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands are citizens of the Trust Territory by birth. They do not acquire citizenship of the United States by birth.

Uruguay
A Titulo de Identidad y Viaje is issued to resident stateless persons and those of doubtful nationality, to political and other refugees and to foreigners who are unable to obtain a national passport. It has a light brown cover. This document is issued or renewed only by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When issued to a resident it is valid for one year, renewable for two periods of one year up to a maximum of three years total validity. The holder is entitled to return if the document is so endorsed. When issued to a non-resident it is valid for one year and cannot be renewed and a separate re-entry permit is required. A Uruguayan national passport endorsed to the effect that the holder is not a citizen is sometimes issued to the foreign wives of Uruguayans if they have lost their nationality of origin without acquiring Uruguayan nationality.

Uzbekistan
An Identity Card for person without citizenship. Same size as national passport, grey semi-stiff cover. 10 pages including covers. Endorsed to effect that after return to Uzbekistan holder must return ID Card to local police within 10 days.

Both these documents are valid for return to the Uzbekistan provided the holders possess exit/re-entry visas, which normally consist of a sheet of stiff paper giving inter alia the holder’s particulars and the number of his travel document.

Vanuatu
Certificate of Identity: a single sheet of white paper printed in English and French and valid for one year. It is issued to stateless persons not entitled to Ni-Vanuatu passports who are resident in Vanuatu. It is valid for re-entry into Vanuatu only if endorsed to that effect.

Vatican City
Two documents are issued:

1. Service Passport with brown leather cover and gold embossed crest and lettering SANTA SEDE PASSAPORTO DI SERVIZIO, is issued to persons not in the diplomatic service of the Holy See but who are travelling on behalf of the Holy See, the Vatican City State, or on official business of religious orders or congregations. It is normally valid for one year or less in the first instance and gives the right of re-entry to the Vatican. Visas are required for the United Kingdom.
2. Emergency Travel Document, issued by Holy See missions abroad to priests, frequently stateless, who lack more adequate documentation. This documentation, which is normally valid for one year in the first instance, gives no right of re-entry to the Vatican. Visas are required for the United Kingdom.

Both service passports and emergency travel documents are issued without regard to nationality.

Venezuela
An emergency passport is issued to stateless persons and to aliens who have no national representative in Venezuela. It usually has a dark brown or maroon cover and has a limited validity. At times it is issued for one journey which allows foreign residents to return to Venezuela within the validity of their visas - those holding ‘Transeunte’ visas (Permission to work) by the specified date and those with resident visas for periods up to two years. At other times it is issued either for one year or two years, when the return date will be governed either by the validity of the visa or the validity of the document. Re-entry visas are not required.

Yugoslavia
Two documents are issued:

1. Putna Isprava (Titre de Voyage) under the 1951 Convention. The cover is of blue-grey leather cloth lettered in gold and has two gold stripes 2 mm wide at the top right hand corner. It is printed in Serbo-Croat and French.
2. A Putni List Za Stranca (Laissez-Passer Pour Etrangers) containing 20 pages, in a blue cover with gold lettering, and printed in Serbo-Croat and French. It is valid until the last date shown on pages 8-10, and is not valid for return to Yugoslavia without a visa.

Zambia
Two documents are issued:

1. Refugee Travel Document under the 1951 Convention: a blue booklet with stiff covers and two black stripes across the top left-hand corner. The validity and the period during which the holder may return to Zambia are endorsed on page 1.
2. Stateless Travel Document of Identity: a double sheet of paper printed in English and French and is not valid for return to Zambia unless so endorsed.

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