Beniamino Gigli (20 March 1890 – 30 November 1957) was an Italian opera singer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation. Here, his Italian passport containing his photograph, signature, stamps and visas, issued on December 10, 1954….

Meet Lora and Ernst Drechsler. I assume they were brother and sister but could have also been a married couple. Both were born in Vienna in 1906 resp. 1908 and both of their German passports were issued in Vienna with…

A reader’s question was the inspiration for this article about the East German (GDR) Embassy in Washington DC, USA. A filmmaker needed a close-up from a GDR exit-visa for a film scene. The story is about a German Democratic Republic…

Nowadays, we see the frequent use of the wording “rare” and “very rare” just as an eyecatcher. I believe I use this wording carefully. Its use is definitely justified for this extraordinary Holy See passport issued in 1964 for the…

It is always a joy to get reader-emails, especially when they include pictures of unusual passports. Here comes such a document from a British gentleman who wanted to have an expert opinion on one of the Liverpool football players’ passports….

Mario Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano (12 August 1903 – 9 November 1988) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Apostolic Palace from 1967 until his death and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1969. Vatican City passport…

Francis James Jackson (December 1770 – 5 August 1814) was a British diplomat, ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Prussia, and the United States. He entered the diplomatic service only at age 16 as a foreign service clerk! In April 1788, he brought back from The…

The following passport of Bremen is gripping by several aspects. First of all, the Free City of Bremen is a rare type when it comes to passport booklets. The second remark is about citizenship. The passport is from Bremen, but…