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.

The modern passport

The birth of the modern passport corresponds with the idea of closed borders that came to light after World War 1, when it became mandatory for countries to document international travel.

British Indian Passport

Before India’s independence, citizens were issued the British Indian Passport, and applicants were charged rupee 1 to receive a new one. The passport was titled the ‘Indian Empire’ and included modern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Burma.