Believe it or not, people travelled abroad even before the birth of the current passport. Wait, how? Throughout history, there are countless references of people travelling to faraway lands. Of course, there was a time when people travelled just like that. Yes, they’d get up and get going. However, later when things started getting more organised, privileged members of the ruling class or traders were given a letter from the king appealing to other kingdoms to allow free and safe passage to the holders of those documents. The first mention of the passport was in the Hebrew Bible The first mention of something similar to a passport was found in the Hebrew Bible. Nehemiah 2:7-9, dating back to 450 BC, states that Nehemiah, an official serving King Artaxerxes I of Persia, needed permission to travel to Judea. The king granted him leave and handed him a letter that said ‘to the governors beyond the river’ requesting safe passage for him as he passed through different lands. The word 'passport' The word 'passport' came from the French word 'passer' which means ‘to pass.’ 'Passport' came into usage in the late 15th century meaning authorisation to depart from a port.

Indian Passport

It was during World War 1, when passports were issued in India for the first time. This was done under the Defence of India Act of 1914. The act became invalid six months after the war ended and the Indian Passport Act, 1920, came into place. This was later renamed as the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.

After India’s independence, the authority to issue Indian passports was given to the Ministry of External Affairs. The first regional passport offices were opened in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai and Nagpur. Currently, the passports are issued under the Indian Passport Act enacted in 1967.

There are three kinds of passports in India

The government of India issues three types of passports - regular, official and diplomatic.

Regular - The regular passport is issued to ordinary citizens like you and me. It’s a Type P passport, where P stands for personal.

Official or White passport - The white passport is issued to individuals representing the Indian government on conferences or official businesses. It’s a Type S passport, where S stands for service.

Diplomatic or maroon passport - The maroon passport is issued to Indian diplomats, high ranking government officials and diplomatic couriers. It’s a Type D passport where D stands for diplomatic.