# Are there any countries whose passports are NOT considered property of their governments? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 3, 2016, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-whose-passports-are-not-considered-property-of-their-governments/753791 "2016-05-03T17:47:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-whose-passports-are-not-considered-property-of-their-governments/753791/1 "2016-05-03T17:47:58Z")
A U.S. passport contains the following statement > [@](#): > > **U.S. GOVERNMENT PROPERTY** This passport is the property of the United States (Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 51.9). It must be surrendered upon demand made by an authorized representative of the United States Government. According to [the Wikipedia article on passports](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passport) “Under the law of most countries, passports are government property…”. Is that “most” just weasel-wording, or is there actually some country out there whose laws don’t consider that country’s passports to be government property? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-whose-passports-are-not-considered-property-of-their-governments/753791/2 "2016-05-03T20:43:18Z")
I would think the passports issued by the United Nations (not a government) for stateless people. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-whose-passports-are-not-considered-property-of-their-governments/753791/3 "2016-05-03T20:47:27Z")
Upon further reading of the OP, the UN is not a country. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-whose-passports-are-not-considered-property-of-their-governments/753791/4 "2016-05-03T21:15:18Z")
Interesting point. But even a [United Nations Laissez-Passer](https://info.undp.org/global/documents/hr/Guide-to-the-Issuance-of-UN-Travel-Documents.pdf) “is the property of the United Nations” and “remains the property of the Organization until it is formally cancelled by one of the issuing offices”. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-whose-passports-are-not-considered-property-of-their-governments/753791/5 "2016-05-04T06:01:01Z")
Norwegian passport legislation does not write that the passport is government property, but lists reasons the passport may be withdrawn and legal steps to be taken if the holder refuses to return it. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-countries-whose-passports-are-not-considered-property-of-their-governments/753791/6 "2016-05-04T15:11:34Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Norwegian passport legislation does not write that the passport is government property, but lists reasons the passport may be withdrawn and legal steps to be taken if the holder refuses to return it. Interesting, thanks!