# Passports From Non-Existent Countries **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893 "2006-03-18T13:15:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/41 "2006-03-20T15:06:57Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > New Brunswick is also a city in New Jersey. Now, that’s just confusing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/42 "2006-03-20T15:32:23Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > [http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/welsh/index.asp](http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/welsh/index.asp) I don’t _want_ the bloody UK thing, I want _a Welsh passport._ Fake though it may be. I suppose now I’ll have to get my mother’s friend’s husband Emrys to write me one. Could he go to the can for it? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/43 "2006-03-20T15:40:09Z")
> [@dwalin](#): > > … > Castille = a city in Spain > … Uhm no. A geographic area of Spain _and_ one of the Christian kingdoms which appeared during the Spanish Reconquista, specifically one born as a county circa 900 and one of the two that lasted as independent kingdoms until 1844 when it united with Navarra to officially form the Kingdom of Spain (between c.1500 and 1844, there were 3-then-2 kingdoms which happened to have the same king; Spain was a geographic location but not a country). Sorry, I just had to pick the nit, please forgive me. But definitely not a place that issues passports 🙂 Having a badge for the San Pepito Police Department or a passport for a nonexistant country is not illegal (since it would be deemed illegal by the governments of, respectively, the city of San Pepito and the nonexistant country); what’s illegal is trying to pass them as a badge for the LAPD (specially while in LA), or as a real passport with any kind of officer of the law. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/44 "2006-03-20T18:10:51Z")
Is the Duchy of Grand Fenwick still issuing passports? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/45 "2006-03-20T20:59:40Z")
Actually, lots of people have two passports. Why? They do business in the Middle East and Arab countries take a dim view of those who deal with Israel. So they have one passport for Israel, and one passport for the rest. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/46 "2006-03-20T22:48:19Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > I know of it as a territory; has it been promoted to province yet? > > But then, I’ve been reading _National Geographic_ all my life. I’ve been whooshed, haven’t I? Please? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/47 "2006-03-20T23:39:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Actually, lots of people have two passports. Why? They do business in the Middle East and Arab countries take a dim view of those who deal with Israel. So they have one passport for Israel, and one passport for the rest Or for completely different reasons. One of my professors is an Australian national, permanently resident in the US, who travels on an English[sup]\*[/sup] passport. Or on at least one occasion, two different English passports. You see, even though he was a natural-born to Australian parents Australian citizen, he was born in England, which means that England recognizes him as an English subject, and will not recognize any renunciation of such. So he’s eligible for an English passport. For reasons he explained once but which I don’t remember, the English passport is more convenient than the Australian ones. And one conference a few years ago when I travelled with him, his old passport had expired, so he was travelling on the new one, but his expired passport contained his still-valid visas. \*I thought I remembered it being specifically an English passport, at least, but if Wales and Scotland don’t issue their own, does England? It might have been a UK passport. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/48 "2006-03-21T00:07:44Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > I’ve been whooshed, haven’t I? Please? Yes, you have. The Yukon is a territory. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/49 "2006-03-21T00:09:39Z")
> [@](#): > > I thought I remembered it being specifically an English passport, at least, but if Wales and Scotland don’t issue their own, does England? It might have been a UK passport. Yes, it was a UK one. > [@Chronos](#): > > England recognizes him as an English subject, and will not recognize any renunciation of such. AFAIK, most countries don’t expect a ‘renunciation’. Many countries quite happily accept the concept of dual citizenship, with Britain perhaps having more reasons than any other to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/50 "2006-03-21T00:44:09Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > AFAIK, most countries don’t expect a ‘renunciation’. Many countries quite happily accept the concept of dual citizenship, with Britain perhaps having more reasons than any other to do so. New Zealand is so used to the idea that their arrival forms include an option (Under Nationality) for “I Am A New Zealand Citizen Travelling On A Foreign Passport”, representing the huge numbers of Dual Citizens the country has (Mainly NZ/Australia and NZ/UK, but there are others too). ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/51 "2006-03-21T02:09:38Z")
Baja California is an “old” name for the peninsula? Could’a fooled me- we use it all the time, and it says so on the nearest map to me… ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/52 "2006-03-21T02:10:59Z")
I think the “Republic of Key West” issues it’s own “passports!” 😉 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/53 "2006-03-21T13:47:14Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > Baja California is an “old” name for the peninsula? Could’a fooled me- we use it all the time, and it says so on the nearest map to me… At one point, political control of Baja was siezed by an American [Filibuster (LINK)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster_%28military%29) (in the original sense of the word) named [William Walker (LINK)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Walker_%28soldier%29), a native of Nashville. They have a small Historic Marker discussing him downtown. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893/54 "2006-03-21T14:20:53Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > I think the “Republic of Key West” issues it’s own “passports!” 😉 I think we’re talking about the kind that begin with a p, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-from-non-existent-countries/348893.md?page=2)