Passport stamp
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A passport stamp is a rubber stamp inked impression received in one's passport upon entering or exiting a country. Passport stamps may also take the form of sticker stamps, such as those received when entering Japan. Depending on your nationality, you may not receive a stamp (unless you specifically request one), such as an EU citizen traveling to another EU country. Most countries issue exit stamps in addition to entry stamps. A few countries only issue entry stamps, including Canada, United States and Barbados[citation needed]. Visas may also take the form of passport stamps.
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[edit] Use
Immigration authorities usually place in passports at a port of entry or border crossing, as part of their immigration control or customs procedures. This endorsement can serve many different purposes. In the United Kingdom the immigration stamp in the passport includes the formal "leave to enter" granted on entry to the country to a person who is subject to immigration control. Alternatively, the stamps activates and/or acknowledges the continuing leave conferred in the individual's entry clearance. Other authorities, such as the Schengen system, simply stamp a passport with a date stamp that does not indicate any duration and this stamp is taken to mean either that the person is deemed to have permission to remain for three months or an alternative period as shown on their visa. In Japan, the passport entry sticker also contains a QR Code that allows the immigration official to electronically collect information related to that entry.
Most countries have different stamps for arrivals and departures to make it easier for officers to quickly identify the movements of the person concerned. The colour of the ink or the style of stamp may also provide such information. In Hong Kong just prior to and after the 1997 transfer of sovereignty from the UK to the People's Republic of China, arrival and departure stamps were identical at all ports of entry, but only those applied at the airport were in black ink. The stamps applied at Hong Kong's sea and land border crossings were applied in purple and red ink respectively. Immigration stamps applied by Macau's immigration service under Portuguese administration had slightly different borders depending on whether the person arrived by land, sea, or air but were all applied in the same colour of ink.
[edit] Schengen zone
All countries within the Schengen Zone have uniform entry and exit stamps. All stamps are applied in black ink except for the red date stamp and bear the country abbreviation within a circle of stars, the name of the entry/exit point, an icon to denote the mode of entry/exit. The entry stamps have an arrow into a square while the exit stamps have an arrow out of a square. The stamps do not indicate any duration of stay and is taken to mean either that the person has permission to remain for three months or the period as shown on his visa.
[edit] Singapore
Singapore entry stamps are in blue or black and either rectangular or hexagonal in shape. Exit stamps are circular and in green. Both depict the date of entry/exit and entry stamps also state the terms of entry and permitted duration of stay. Both stamps do not name the point of entry/exit but indicate them by the use of letters of the alphabet. "A" is used for entry by air, namely through Changi International Airport; "S" by sea though the Singapore Cruiseship Terminal or Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal; "T" by land via the Tuas checkpoint; and "W" by land via the Woodlands checkpoint.
[edit] Gallery
 Entry stamp to Israel from Taba in an Israeli passport. |
 Entry stamp to Egypt from Eilat in a US passport. |
 Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority visa in a US passport. |
 Entry stamp in a US passport from the Wadi Araba Crossing. |
 Laos entry and exit stamps. |
 Entry stamp to Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint land border in a Malaysian Passport |
 Exit stamp from Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint (Train checkpoint) land border in a Malaysian Passport |
 Entry stamp to Singapore via Tuas Checkpoint land border in a Malaysian Passport |
 Exit stamp from Singapore via Tuas Checkpoint land border in a Malaysian Passport |
 Entry stamp to Del Caribe, General Santiago Mariño International Airport, Margarita Island, Venezuela |
[edit] References
- ^ European sets world travel record, ABC Online, February 27 2004
- ^ (Italian) Simona Ravizza, A 29 anni come Marco Polo: ho visitato i 192 paesi del mondo, Corriere della Sera, 14 March 2004
