Why are only four colors used for passport covers in the world?

There are 195 states in the modern world. Moreover, all passports, both domestic and foreign, have covers of only four colors, not counting shades. There is no generally accepted rule limiting the palette, but each country has its own reasons for choosing the color of the citizen's main document.

The most common passport color is red. It is chosen by countries with a communist past or present. Documents from Slovenia, China, Serbia, Russia, Latvia, Romania, Poland, and Georgia have this cover. In addition, countries belonging to the European Union have red or burgundy passports.

EU applicant states such as Turkey, Macedonia and Albania changed their cover color to red a few years ago. In South America, all countries belonging to the Andean Union have burgundy passports - Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

The next most popular color is blue. It symbolizes the new world. It was chosen by 15 Caribbean countries. For states that are part of the South American bloc of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, blue passports indicate a connection with the Mercosur trade union. The only exception is Venezuela, which, although part of the coalition, issues red passports to its citizens. Since 1976, the US passport has had a blue cover.

Most countries in the Islamic world have passports with a green cover. This color is considered the favorite color of the Prophet Muhammad, and it also symbolizes life and prosperity. Some African countries also have green passports: Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, Ivory Coast. In their case, the color indicates that the state is a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Black passports are the rarest. They are issued in some African countries: Botswana, Zambia, Burundi, Gabon, Angola, Chad, Congo, Malawi. In addition, the passports of New Zealand citizens have a black cover. This is due to the fact that black is considered the state color there.

Here's some more interesting information about foreign passports.