# Religion on passports **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719 "2004-12-27T00:26:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [April 22, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/21 "2013-04-22T19:05:29Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I’m one. It’s not so much that you won’t be able to get into certain Muslim countries, it’s that you’ll face more hassle when you go there if you have an Israeli stamp on your passport. When I went to Brunei almost decade ago having an Israeli stamp in your passport meant that you would be refused entry. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@Bob\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_X)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/22 "2013-04-23T20:47:26Z")
In Egypt, not only is the religion listed, but you have to belong to one of the “approved” religions or you cannot have a passport (or any other form of state ID) at all. The Baha’i in particular have been fighting for recognition for quite some time: [http://www.bahai-egypt.org/2007/02/no-id-no-passport-and-catch-22.html](http://www.bahai-egypt.org/2007/02/no-id-no-passport-and-catch-22.html) That link is from the Mubarak period, but it has not gotten better. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/23 "2013-04-24T17:42:32Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Not exactly. The USSR considered Jews to be an ethnic group just like Russians, or Tatars, or Uzbek and that was listed in the internal passport. It didn’t matter whether or not a given “Jew” actually practiced Judaism; indeed an ethnic Russian who converted to Judaism would still be listed as Russian, not Jewish. I stand corrected. Actually, I realized after I had posted that the fifth point was actually called “Nationality”. Doesn’t change the fact that it was listed. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/24 "2013-04-24T21:59:15Z")
My Jordanian residence book (similar to a passport) had religion specified. It was a checkbox, with either Muslim or Christian. Christian was the default for all non-Muslims. Nobody ever asked me my religion, it was just handed to me with Christian marked. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/25 "2013-04-24T23:29:46Z")
You know who else marked passports with a person’s religion? No, seriously, the [Nazis](http://www.passport-collector.com/2012/02/09/for-sale-german-nazi-passport-with-infamous-j-stamp-jew/) really did stamp your passport with a J is you were Jewish. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/26 "2013-04-25T06:53:18Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > [This site](http://www.keralaglobal.com/nrizone/visa_passport.php) implies that India lists religion, as it gives the process for getting a new passport if your religion changes. India most decidedly does not list religion on the passport. ---
**Author:** ![Winter\_Maiden\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9de053/32.png) [@Winter\_Maiden\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winter_Maiden_1)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/27 "2013-04-28T18:51:50Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > presumably a quick internet search on Turkey and passport and religion would find it? Actually, searching on those very words did not find it, which is why I posted here. Googling this particular topic is complicated by the fact that there is a movie called “Turkish Passport” about Turkish diplomats helping Jews during the Holocaust. I’m getting a lot of hits on that, and otherwise mostly just queries/information on the price of Turkish passports. And the occasional gobbler. Adding “application” to the search didn’t help. I’ve been able to view a couple of ID pages from Turkish passports, but they are from passports mostly decades old and I wasn’t able to see them very well. I would think that Turkey, as a secular state, would not list religion, but the same thing should be true of internal identification papers, and I have heard (but not verified) that religion is listed on those. ---
**Author:** ![Winter\_Maiden\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9de053/32.png) [@Winter\_Maiden\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winter_Maiden_1)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/28 "2013-04-28T19:27:43Z")
Okay, found it by searching on Turkey, religion, and identification documents. Turkey does not list religion on their passports. Turkey does require one to choose from a short approved list of religions for a line on its internal identification document, which is required to be shown in many different situations, but does not have a line for religion on driver’s licenses or passports. For national ID, you are registered at birth, and your only option if you do not affiliate with any of the official list of religions is to leave the line blank (an option only available since 2006). Otherwise, Alevis and Baha’is have to register as Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses as Christian. Courts have ruled that these minority religions qualify as “beliefs,” rather than “religions,” or that they are sects of the big religions. [http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article\_id=1496](http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1496) ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/29 "2013-04-28T22:20:46Z")
To continue a nearly decades old discussion, I’d guess the reason why some countries list religion on passports is that they may treat civil matters differently for people of different religions. Some countries, for example, enforce different marriage laws depending on if it is a polygamous or monogamous marriage. It may also be helpful, if it comes to that, in deciding how to manage a body should the holder pass away. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/30 "2013-04-28T22:29:38Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > It may also be helpful, if it comes to that, in deciding how to manage a body should the holder pass away. Which is supposedly one reason why US military dog tags include it, or used to. Woe betide a soldier who dies on the battlefield with the wrong flavor of priestly mumbo-jumbo muttered over his corpse. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/31 "2013-04-29T00:12:23Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > 😕 > > Surely these countries wishing to do international business don’t deny entry to foriegn businessmen who have had to also travel to Israel? Also, what about journalists??? Both of my countries (AUS and USA) will issue a secondary passport for travel through Israel. The Israeli/Aus dual citizen who died in an Israeli jail recently had more than one AUS passport, and the US citizen who was beaten up by US border guards for having more than one passport also had dual passports for the purpose of traveling through Israel. I’m not aware of any other common reason for having valid dual passports, but no doubt I’m just showing my ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/32 "2013-04-29T00:21:25Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Both of my countries (AUS and USA) will issue a secondary passport for travel through Israel. > > The Israeli/Aus dual citizen who died in an Israeli jail recently had more than one AUS passport, and the US citizen who was beaten up by US border guards for having more than one passport also had dual passports for the purpose of traveling through Israel. > > I’m not aware of any other common reason for having valid dual passports, but no doubt I’m just showing my ignorance. You may have a passport issued for a specific purpose, as well as a personal one. When I was in Peace Corps, we all got a Peace Corps passport that was only good for our period of service (and a short period after) But our personal passports were still valid, and most people switched to those after finishing their service. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/33 "2013-04-29T00:38:57Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Woe betide a soldier who dies on the battlefield with the wrong flavor of priestly mumbo-jumbo muttered over his corpse. **Moderator Note** **Musicat** , let’s refrain from religious jabs in GQ. No warning issued, but don’t do this again. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/34 "2013-04-29T08:00:44Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > the US citizen who was beaten up by US border guards for having more than one passport also had dual passports for the purpose of traveling through Israel. I’ve never heard of this. Is there a news story you can link to? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/35 "2013-04-29T08:09:02Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > You may have a passport issued for a specific purpose, as well as a personal one. When I was in Peace Corps, we all got a Peace Corps passport that was only good for our period of service (and a short period after) But our personal passports were still valid, and most people switched to those after finishing their service. I think what you’re referring to are Official Passports, maroon in color, and issued to people in the employ of the US government on official duty to the destination country. IIRC, those are still issued for a maximum of five years. The personal passports (“Fee passports”) are blue in color and are issued to juveniles for five years, adults for ten. Oh, and there are also Diplomatic Passports, which are black in color, and are issued to US government personnel who are required to have such when assigned overseas. Official and Diplomatic passports can also be issued to family members of the US government personnel concerned if the treaty with the host country requires that. For those personnel whose family members are not required to have a Diplomatic or Official passport, they are issued “No Fee Passports,” which are issued at no cost (except for the oath if taken at a post office or certain other venues) to the bearer. Some countries restrict the use of a foreign diplomatic/official/no-fee passport to only be presented when crossing their border in connection with duties in that country. In other words, a military dependent on a command-sponsored tour in South Korea may not be able to use the no-fee passport for a tourist trip to China. The dependent would have to use a regular ol’ fee passport to cross into China and the no-fee passport to enter/exit South Korea. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719/36 "2013-04-29T11:04:06Z")
OK ours were blue, but “no fee.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-on-passports/281719.md?page=1)