Passports of the European Union

The front cover of a contemporary Dutch biometric passport

The European Union does not issue passports, but the passports issued by its 27 member states do share a common design.¹ These include the burgundy coloured cover, the use of the words "European Union" in the country's official language or languages on the cover, as well as common security features and biometrics.²

Some EU member states also issue non-EU passports to certain people who have a nationality which does not render them citizens of the European Union (e.g., British Overseas Territories Citizens except those with a connection to Gibraltar, British Nationals (Overseas), British Overseas Citizens, British Protected Persons and British Subjects).³ The European Union does issue European Union Laissez-Passers to the members and certain civil servants of its institutions.

Common design features

2010 Bulgarian biometric passport

Since the 1980s, European Union member states have started to harmonise the following aspects of the designs of their passports:¹

Overall format

Paper size B7 (ISO/IEC 7810 ID-3, 88 mm × 125 mm)
32 pages (passports with more pages can be issued to frequent travellers)
Colour of cover: burgundy red

Cover

Information on the cover, in this order, in the language(s) of the issuing state:

The words "EUROPEAN UNION" (before 1997: "EUROPEAN COMMUNITY")
Name of the issuing state (similar typeface as "EUROPEAN UNION")
Emblem of the state
The word "PASSPORT"
The Biometric Passport symbol

First page

Information on the first page, in one or more of the languages of the European Union:

The words "EUROPEAN UNION"
Name of the issuing state (similar typeface to that of "European Union")
The word "PASSPORT"
Serial number (may also be repeated on the other pages)

Identification page

Information on the (possibly laminated) identification page, in the languages of the issuing state plus English and French, accompanied by numbers that refer to an index that lists the meaning of these fields in all official EU languages:

1. Surname	2. Forename(s)
3. Nationality	4. Date of birth
5. Sex	6. Place of birth
7. Date of issue	8. Date of expiry
9. Authority	10. Signature of holder

Following page

Optional information on the following page:

11. Residence	12. Height
13. Colour of eyes	14. Extension of the passport
15. Name at birth (if now using married name or have legally changed names)

Remaining pages

The following page is reserved for:
- Details concerning the spouse of the holder of the passport (where a family passport is issued)
- Details concerning children accompanying the holder (name, first name, date of birth, sex)
- Photographs of the faces of spouse and children
The following page is reserved for use by the issuing authorities
The following page carries the index that translates the field numbers into the official languages of the EU
The remaining pages are reserved for visa
The inside back cover is reserved for additional information or recommendations by the issuing state in its own official language(s)