Laissez-passer issued to International Civil Servants of the United Nations

A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international treaty organization to facilitate the movement of individuals or small groups of persons across international boundaries. Travel documents usually assure other governments that the bearer or bearers may return to the issuing country and are issued in booklet form to allow other governments to place visas as well as entry and exit stamps in them. One of the most common travel documents is a passport, which usually identifies the bearer as a citizen or national of the issuing country.^[1] Currently international travel documents are issued under the United Nations Convention Travel Document (UNCTD).

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has also adopted the new Travel Document Security Programme which seeks to "aim to comply fully with the minimum security standards for the handling and issuance of passports and other travel documents elaborated by ICAO".^[2]

[edit] Laissez-Passer

Israeli Laissez-passer issued to Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem and Druze from the Golan Heights

A laissez-passer (from the French let pass) is a travel document issued by a national government or an international treaty organization. When issued by a national government a laissez-passer is often for one-way travel to the issuing country. When issued by an international treaty organization it is often for employee travel on official business^[3].

Some national governments issue laissez-passers to their own nationals as emergency passports. Others issue them to people who are stateless, who are unable to obtain a passport from their own government or whose government is not recognized by the issuing country.

The United Nations (and the International Labour Organization) issue laissez-passer to officials and members of the UN, specialized agencies as well as to several international organizations. The laissez-passer are also issued to their families for official use. The U.N. laissez-passer is similar to a passport, and is widely recognized worldwide, although some countries will not accept a U.N. laissez-passer as sufficient to gain entry. A U.N. laissez-passer does not generally confer diplomatic immunity, but may confer limited immunities and privileges^[3].

Historically, laissez-passer were commonly issued during wartime and at other periods, literally acting as a pass to allow travel to specific areas, out of war zones or out of the country for various officials, diplomatic agents, or representatives or citizens of third countries. In these contexts, laissez-passer would frequently include quite specific and limited freedom of movement. The form and issuing authority would be more or less standardized depending on the circumstances.

An example is when in the early 1950s, the Iraqi government granted permission to its 120 thousand Jewish citizens to leave (Operation Ezra and Nehemiah) conditional on their renouncing their citizenship and leaving behind all their properties and assets. The travel document that was issued was the laissez-passer since an Iraqi passport was no longer possible^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Other types of travel documents

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• 1951 Convention travel documents are passport-like booklets issued by national governments to refugees under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
• 1954 Convention travel documents are similar documents issued to stateless persons under the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons.
• Alien's passports and certificates of identity are passport-like booklets issued by national governments to resident foreigners, other than those issued under the 1951 and 1954 conventions mentioned above. However, some governments issue certificates of identity to their own nationals as emergency passports.
• Taiwan Compatriot Entry Permit, Home Return Permit, Exit & Entry Permit (Republic of China), Hong Kong Re-entry Permit, and Entry Permit of Mainland Residents to the Taiwan Area: the specific travel documents for Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau's citizens to mutually travel among these places due to their special mutual political status.

[edit] United States travel document

A United States travel document may also be used as a:^[4]

• Reentry Permit - A reentry permit allows a permanent resident or conditional resident to apply for admission to the United States upon return from abroad during the permit's validity, without having to obtain a returning Resident Visa from a U.S. embassy or consulate.
• Refugee Travel Document - A refugee travel document is issued to a person classified as a refugee or asylee, or to a permanent resident who obtained such status as a result of being a refugee or asylee in the United States. Persons who hold such status must have a refugee travel document to return to the United States after temporary travel abroad unless he or she is in possession of a valid Advance Parole Document. A refugee travel document is issued by the CIS to implement Article 28 of the United Nations Convention of July 28, 1951.
• Advance Parole Document - An advance parole document is issued solely to authorize the temporary parole of a person into the United States. The document may be accepted by a transportation company in lieu of a visa as an authorization for the holder to travel to the United States. An advance parole document is not issued to serve in place of any required passport. A permanent resident whose travel is on the order of the United States government, other than an exclusion, deportation, removal or rescission order.

[edit] See also

• Immigration law
• Refugee travel document
• 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons
• 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness
• Nansen passport
• Re-entry Permit
• Biometric passport or E-passport
• RFID
• Visa (document)

[edit] External links

• Wikitravel on travel documents
• Information regarding USCIS Form I-131 (application for a U.S. Travel Document)

[edit] References