Talk:Travel document

Proposed way Forward
Sorry - I got back from a long business trip yesterday now is the first time I can find to respond to this.

I'm quite excited by the idea of using this article is a general overview of travel documents and them pointing off short summaries into longer more detailed articles.

As you have indicated the stuff about non-national documents needs a separate article. I would prefer to keep convention documents with non-convention travel documents but that's because there isn't enoug material for two decent length articles. I'm not inclinded to go to the wall over it and would appreciate your views.

We also need to sort out catagorisation of this lot and make sure that all related articles are in the same place.

My view is that we need all of the following articles which should also have a pointer to this article at the top as a kind of sub-portal:


 * Passports (Natch)
 * Non-national Travel documents (including convention and non convention)
 * Regional travel documents (stuff valid for travel in small regions)
 * ID cards needs to be rescued from identity documents
 * Miscellaneous travel documents.

My thought is that specific articles about each subject should link from teh main article so UK Id cards can be found by Travel Documents --> ID Cards --> UK ID Cards

Grateful for thoughts on this before I goa head and start working. Also we want to make sure that we are working together and not at cross purposes. Cheers --Spartaz 17:54, 9 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Why would ID cards need to be rescued from identity documents? The national ID cards used as travel documents in Europe, for example, are primarily used as ID for other purposes.  One problem with this article is going to be terminology, the same words mean two or three different things depending on which country is speaking.  The word "passport" for example need not, for example, refer to a document evidencing nationality, as in the case of alien's passports.  I would probably structure the article around the different expressions used, explaining how they can be used differently in different places.  Each of these should probably have their own article:


 * 1.) Passports
 * (add a section to the main article on emergency passports, including certificates of identity and laissez-passers issued as emergency passports)
 * (add a section to the main article on alien's passports)
 * 2.) 1951 Convention Travel Docs
 * 3.) 1954 Convention Travel Docs
 * 4.) Certicates of identity (issued to stateless or de facto stateless people, mention that term can also mean an emergency passport, mention that some countries call them alien's passports)
 * 5.) Laissez-passers (Brazilian, Israeli, U.N., etc.)
 * 6.) Israeli travel document in lieu of national passport (they're so bizarre they need their own article)


 * The Travel Docs article could give an over view with links to each of those (travel documents issued in booklet form to allow for the issuance of visas) and contrast them with other kinds of ID accepted in limited circumstances for international travel (not in booklet form, for visa-free travel).


 * Whaddaya think?


 * Jonathan David Makepeace 15:12, 10 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Sorry only just got back from my latest trip. Sound good. lets do it. --Spartaz 19:56, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

Note of work that needs doing

 * 1.) Passports
 * (add a section to the main article on emergency passports, including certificates of identity and laissez-passers issued as emergency passports) DONE--Spartaz 20:48, 11 September 2006 (UTC)
 * (add a section to the main article on alien's passports)DONE--Spartaz 20:48, 11 September 2006 (UTC)
 * 2.) 1951 Convention Travel Docs Started stub--Spartaz 21:16, 11 September 2006 (UTC)
 * 3.) 1954 Convention Travel Docs Started stub--Spartaz 21:16, 11 September 2006 (UTC)
 * 4.) Certicates of identity (issued to stateless or de facto stateless people, mention that term can also mean an emergency passport, mention that some countries call them alien's passports) Started non-nationmal travel document stub--Spartaz 21:16, 11 September 2006 (UTC)
 * 5.) Laissez-passers (Brazilian, Israeli, U.N., etc.)
 * 6.) Israeli travel document in lieu of national passport (they're so bizarre they need their own article)

Grateful for some feedback on whether this is OK and where we should go next

Moving History section to talk for more work in new article
Also, the section in the passport article on international travel without passports is really about international travel without travel documents.

History
Prior to the First World War passports were not generally required for international travel and Countries that did expect visitors to hold identity documents would quite happily issue them to Citizens of other countries to facilitate their travel. The international understanding of what the word passport meant was completely changed with the First World War when most European Countries introduced a requirement for persons crossing their borders to hold Passports and in 1915 the United States introduced a requirement for every person entering the US to hold a valid passport. After the War, the role of the passport was further codified at a 1920 League of Nations Conference for passports, customs facilities and travel that was held in Paris. By this stage Europe had become awash with Refugees who were no longer entitled to Passport facilities and were therefore prevented from moving freely from one Country to another.

In 1921 the League of Nations established a High Commission for Refugess and in 1922 the concept of a refugee identification certificate (the so called Nansen passport) was proposed. By 1933 the first Convention Relating to the International Status of Refugees was adopted in Geneva.

After the Second World War the situation of refugees had become even worse with the erection of the Iron Curtain. In 1951 the UN Convention on Refugees introduced Convention Travel Documents for refugees that included an agreement for visa free travel for up to 3 months by signatories of the Convention for the holders of these documents. In 1954 a further Convention established the recognition of Stateless Travel documents that were issued to non-Refugees who neverless no longer had a Nationality, for example, for emigrees of states that had been swallowed up by the Soviet Union.

The issue and regulation of travel documents still falls under the 1951 Convention and has not essentially changed since that time although there has been a gradual reduction in the number of states that allow visa free travel for holders of Convention Travel Documents.

what about "seaman's papers"?
Used by merchant seamen in lieu of a passport. What about military ID? Do soldiers need a passport?

Info transfer
I propose transferring the info from this article over to another article and put in the general travel documents in this article (eg visa, WHO vaccination card, onward ticket (also sometimes required!), ...) This article is obviously centred around travel papers of international aid workers. More info can be obtained from this site :
 * Travel requirements Passport, visa, and health requirements of countries. The requirements are updated regularly by the International Air Transport Association but information for all countries may not be completely up-to-date.

Also, I put in a link to a wikpedia immigration article, some info can be obtained from here aswell.

new version
just tried to make a more comprehensive version including (and sorting) the several types of travel document. Feel free to improve and extend. I also welcome ideas on what should be done with the things on the bottom (now under: other countries). L.tak 20:33, 27 April 2010 (UTC)

removing content
I plan to do three things:
 * remove the link in the starting paragraph on the UN travel doc convention as I can not find any source; even on the UN page. I think it is meant to link to the refugee travel documents
 * remove the specific info on the US as it has much general info (refugee) and the specific info is not complete.
 * remove the info china (same reason).

Let me know here/improve if anything should be kept! L.tak 11:34, 7 May 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by L.tak (talk • contribs)
 * Ref. to UNCTD at lead is a load of waffle. Feel free to edit this article mercilessly! RashersTierney (talk) 22:23, 7 May 2010 (UTC)
 * done! L.tak 08:25, 8 May 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by L.tak (talk • contribs)

about Mozanbique travel document
dear, can you please check for me if this is true the Mozambique government is issuing some travelling document that their customs workers are considering them as not legit ,i say so because every time when we cross the boarder using these documents the on duty workers are claiming to cancel them and demand cash so that we can pass.this is done in Mozambican side only.they say the need work permit yet the document is written travel document.is this document not capable for travelling only.can you please check with the Mozambique government if this document is for working only ore either is for both work and travelling.or you can just check for me the wright place where i can report this matter.06:52, 14 January 2019 (UTC)105.4.1.92 (talk)

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