The colour of a passport cover is not a matter of chance or simple design preference. Although there is no international rule requiring a specific colour, passports worldwide tend to fall into four main categories - red, blue, green and black - each reflecting historical, political, religious or practical considerations.
Technical standards for travel documents are set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which regulates size, materials, security features and biometric data. Colour choice, however, remains the responsibility of individual states, which generally opt for darker shades that are more durable and less prone to visible wear.
Italy’s passport is burgundy, a colour adopted in 1981 to harmonise documents across the then European Community. Over time, it has become a symbol of European affiliation, to the point that some EU candidate countries have changed their passport colour to signal political alignment.
Blue is common among Mercosur countries and the United States, where it reflects national colours. A notable example is the United Kingdom, which after Brexit replaced the EU-standard burgundy passport with a dark blue version, a symbolic move marking its departure from the bloc.
Green predominates in many Muslim-majority countries, where it carries strong religious and cultural significance, and is also used by some West African regional organisations as a sign of economic unity.
Black is the rarest colour for ordinary passports but is widely used for diplomatic documents, which confer special status and privileges. In some countries, such as New Zealand, black also holds strong national symbolism.
In Italy, the passport - regulated by a 2005 ministerial decree - is a highly secure document, featuring a polycarbonate data page, microtext and advanced anti-counterfeiting measures. Its burgundy cover, together with the internal graphic elements, forms part of a broader narrative of institutional and cultural identity.