The next time you hand over your passport at a border crossing, it might hand back a political statement.
The State Department this week began issuing a limited-edition commemorative passport to mark America’s 250th anniversary, and it looks like no U.S. passport before it. The inside cover features President Donald Trump’s portrait set against the text of the Declaration of Independence, alongside his signature.
What it is and how to get one
The commemorative passport is a fully valid travel document. It has the same page count as a standard book, and the same security features. It’s issued only at the Washington Passport Agency in Washington, D.C., while supplies last. You won’t get one if you apply online, by mail, at an embassy abroad or at any other passport agency.
There are two ways to get the special passport book. If you have international travel within 14 days, you can book an in-person appointment, which requires a $60 expedite fee on top of regular fees. Otherwise, you can apply at special Saturday acceptance events on August 22 and September 26, where regular fees and processing times apply. There’s no surcharge for the commemorative design itself. Applications use the standard forms and the established fee schedule. Officials say between 25,000 and 30,000 will be available.
One more thing to know: The commemorative book is the default for people applying in person at the Washington office. If you’d rather have the standard design, apply online or anywhere else in the country, where nothing changes.
No, I wouldn’t. I like passports that are a-political. It should represent (like you said, Chris) the beauty of the country, not its leaders (Republican or Democrat).
Read more insightful reader feedback. See all comments.
Has this ever happened before?
The government has issued commemorative passports twice. A Bicentennial edition ran during the calendar year 1976, and a green Benjamin Franklin passport marked 200 years of the Foreign Service from 1993 to 1994. Neither featured a president’s picture. Passport historian Patrick Bixby calls the new design “entirely novel,” saying he’s found no precedent for a sitting head of state’s image in a passport, not even in authoritarian regimes.
Other countries have made their travel documents political in different ways:
- China’s passports feature a map with its disputed South China Sea claims, drawing protests from the Philippines and Vietnam.
- Taiwan redesigned its passport in 2020 to shrink “Republic of China” to fine print and highlight “Taiwan”—a statement about national identity.
- Britain restored its blue passport after Brexit, with the government framing it as restoring national identity.
- Iran’s passport reportedly states the holder may not travel to “occupied Palestine.”
Why does the government say you’ll want one?
The State Department calls the passport “a fitting tribute to America’s birthday, offering Americans a tangible connection to our founding and a symbol of the freedom to explore the world.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the passport is a tremendous source of pride for Americans traveling abroad, and the commemorative edition is part of a broader effort to modernize the passport system.
Why travelers are skeptical of the new passport
The new passport is a striking break from tradition, travelers are concerned that carrying it could advertise their political affiliations as they travel around the world. That’s something no other passport asks of its holder. Critics have also questioned the design’s rumored “Welcome, but be good!” message, pointing out that passports go to citizens, not visitors.
The politics are contentious too. Several Democratic lawmakers have criticized the plan, and senators have moved to block the president’s face from appearing on passports altogether. For the average traveler, the practical concern is simpler: Your passport gets inspected by foreign border officers who may have their own views, and a standard book invites none of those questions.
What do you think of the commemorative passport?
Follow-up questions:
- If yes: Is it patriotism, a collector’s instinct or something else? Would you make a special trip to Washington to get one?
- If no: Is it the design, the politics or the hassle? Would you feel differently if it featured only the founders or a different president?
My take
A passport is the one document every international traveler carries, and it works best when it speaks for all of us. Past designs featured landscapes, landmarks and history, images attached to the nation rather than to any single administration. Putting a sitting president inside the book breaks with that tradition, and travelers didn’t ask for it. If you love the design, the path to getting one is easy. If you don’t, the standard passport works the same at every border. That’s the good news here: Nobody outside one office in Washington has to make this choice at all.
Your turn
Should travel documents ever carry political imagery? Would you go out of your way to get this passport, or to avoid it? Our comments are open. A quick note before you weigh in: This isn’t a political site, and our strict rules of decorum apply. In other words—welcome, but be good.
