Sierran passport

  

Sierran passport
The front cover of a Sierran e-passport with a chip
Date first issued	1858 (first version) 1921 (booklet) 1983 (machine-readable passport) 2006 (biometric)
Issued by	K.S. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Valid in	All CAS member states
Type of document	Passport
Purpose	Identification
Eligibility requirements	Sierran nationality and family register
Expiration	10 years after acquisition for people at least 16 years of age; 5 years for minors under 16
Cost	Adults: $120 (first time), $90 (renewal) Minors: $90 (first time), $60 (renewal)

The Sierran passport is the official passport issued to citizens and nationals of the Kingdom of Sierra by the K.S. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It enables the bearer to enter and exit Sierra freely; to travel to and from countries in accordance to visa requirements; and to provide definitive proof of citizenship (it was considered only prima facie proof until 2009). It may also be used to request assistance from Sierran consular officials and to request protection, if necessary, for the bearer abroad. It is unlawful for K.S. citizens or nationals to leave or return to the country without a valid passport, although the K.S. Supreme Court has ruled that citizens cannot be denied entry simply due to the lack of surrendering a valid passport. All passports, including those expired, are considered the property of the Government of the Kingdom of Sierra and must be surrendered or returned upon request. Since 2016, all valid K.S. passports are biometric.

Every Sierran citizen, except those who reside in K.S. territories or crown dependencies, are also citizens of the Conference of American States. The passport, alongside the national identification card, may be used to allow for freedom of movement or residence in any of the states of the CAS Lincoln Area.

As of 2019, over 60% of Sierrans held onto a valid passport, with over 48 million ordinary passports in circulation. Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for issuing passports, the designing and printing of the passport is handled by the Royal Mint and Printing Corporation. There are two main forms of passports issued: the standard, ordinary passport issued to citizens and nationals, and the diplomatic passport issued to diplomats, consuls, and their dependents, as well as select government or military officials including the Prime Minister or members of the Royal Family.

Types of passports

The K.S. Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues several types of passports, of which the most common are the following two:

Regular (Ordinary) Passport (purple cover)

Issuable to all citizens and non-citizen nationals, which are valid up to 10 years from the date of issuance for persons 16 and older, and valid up to 5 years from the date of issuance for minors below the age of 16. Although new passports or passport renewals have associated fees, applicants may submit a fee reduction or waiver due to special circumstances such as financial insecurity or military duty that requires overseas deployment or service.

Diplomatic Passport (dark blue cover)

Issuable to Sierran diplomats who are accredited overseas and their eligible dependents; to citizens who reside in Sierra and travel abroad for diplomacy-related work, to top-level government officials including the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Defense, prime minister-elects and deputy prime minister-elects, as well as former top-level government officials; to Supreme Court justices, current cabinet members, some members of Parliament, and retired career ambassadors. All passports are valid up to 5 years from date of issuance.

The following passports are less common and restricted to special classes of people:

Royal Passport (red cover)

Issuable to members of the Sierran Royal Family (excluding the Sovereign themselves, blood relatives of the Sovereign who are not citizens of Sierra or those who do not hold a royal title). All passports are valid up to 10 years from date of issuance for persons 16 and older, and valid up to 5 years from the date of issuance for minors below the age of 16.

Asylum Travel Document

Issuable to aliens who have been classified as refugees or asylum seekers. All travel documents are valid up to 5 years from date of issuance, regardless of age.

Re-Entry Travel Document

Issuable to permanent residents who are not citizens or nationals of Sierra. All travel documents are valid up to 2 years from date of issuance, regardless of age.

Regular (Offender) Passport

Issuable to all citizens and non-citizen nationals who have been convicted of felonies and/or have been registered as a sex offender. Generally indistinguishable from ordinary passports except the endorsement bears a federally mandated warning that the bearer has been charged with the respective felony they had committed in Sierra. All passports are valid up to 5 years. It is illegal for felons and sex offenders to use any passport without the endorsement declaring their status as such.

Physical appearance

Front cover

On all versions of Sierran passports, the Royal Coat of Arms of Sierra are emblazoned on the center of the front cover. On the regular, ordinary passport, the color of the front and back covers are purple, while the diplomatic passports are colored dark purple. On the Royal Passport variants, the color is burgundy red. The words "KINGDOM OF SIERRA" are inscribed above the coat of arms while the word "PASSPORT" is displayed below the coat of arms. The translated word of "PASSPORT" may also be included depending on the primary language spoken by the bearer only if that language is one of Sierra's official non-English languages (Spanish, French, Tondolese, Chinese [written in Traditional script], Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, and German). The words "CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN STATES" appears above "KINGDOM OF SIERRA" for bearers who are also considered citizens of the Conference of American States and resides within the Lincoln Area (excludes non-citizen nationals and residents of Sierra's territories or crown dependencies aside those residing in the Channel Islands).

Since 2006, passports equipped with a biometric chip include the e-passport symbol at the bottom of "PASSPORT" or the foreign translation of the word. Currently, all regular passports have 28-pages although bearers are free to request a 58-page variant at no extra charge.

Passport notes

Regular passports contain the following messages inside the cover page in Sierra's nine official languages. In passports belonging to Hawaiian bearers, this also includes Hawaiian, an additional official language in the Principality of Hawaii.

In English:

Her Royal Majesty's Minister of Foreign Affairs hereby requests to all whom it concern to allow the bearer named herein as a citizen/national of the Kingdom of Sierra to pass without delay or hindrance, and to render legal assistance and protection in times of need or distress.

In Spanish:

El Ministerio / La Ministeria de Relaciones Exteriores de Su Majestad Real por la presente solicita a todos los interesados que permitan que el portador nombrado en este documento como ciudadano / nacional del Reino de Sierra pase sin demora u obstáculo, y que brinde asistencia y protección legal en momentos de necesidad o peligro.

In French:

Le Ministère des Affaires Étrangères de Sa Majesté Royale demande par la présente à toutes les personnes concernées d'autoriser le titulaire désigné ci-après en tant comme citoyen / ressortissant du Royaume de Sierra à passer sans délai ni obstacle, et de fournir une assistance juridique et une protection en cas de besoin ou de détresse.

In Tondolese:

Ang Ministro ng Ugnayang Panlabas ng kanyang maharlika ay humihiling sa lahat na nag-aalala na pahintulutan ang nagdadala na pinangalanan dito bilang isang mamamayan / nasyonal ng Kaharian ng Sierra na lumipas nang walang pagkaantala o hadlang, at magbigay ng ligal na tulong at proteksyon sa mga oras ng pangangailangan o pagkabalisa .

In Chinese:

她的皇家陛下外交部長特此要求所有與其有關的人允許在此被指名為金王國公民/國民的持有人毫不拖延或阻礙地通過，並在需要或遇險時提供法律援助和保護。

In Vietnamese:

Bộ trưởng Bộ Ngoại giao của Hoàng đế yêu cầu tất cả những ai quan tâm đến việc cho phép người mang tên ở đây là công dân / quốc gia của Vương quốc Vàng vượt qua mà không bị trì hoãn hoặc cản trở, và đưa ra hỗ trợ pháp lý và bảo vệ trong những lúc cần thiết hoặc gặp khó khăn.

In Korean:

그녀의 임페리얼 마제스티 외무부 장관은 여기에 시에라 왕국의 시민 / 국가로 지명 된 소지자가 지체없이 방해하거나 통과해야 할 필요가 있거나 고통 스러울 때 법적인 도움과 보호를 제공 할 것을 요구하는 모든 사람에게 요청합니다.

In Japanese:

皇室外務大臣は、ここにシエラ王国の市民/国民としてここに名付けられた所持者が遅滞なく支障なく通過し、必要や苦痛の際に法的支援と保護を与えることを懸念するすべての人に要求します 。

In German:

Das Außenministerium ihrer königlich Majestät ersucht hiermit alle interressierten, dem hier als Staatsangehöriger des Königreichs Sierra genannten Inhaber unverzüglich oder ungehindert passieren zu lassen und in Not- oder Problemfälle Rechtsbeistand und Schutz zu leisten.

In Hawaiian:

No kēia mea, noi ke Kuhina o nā Aupuni ʻē i ka poʻe i manaʻo ʻia e ʻae i ka mea lawe i kapa ʻia ma ke ʻano he kamaʻāina / aupuni o ke Aupuni ʻo Sierra e hele me ka hoʻomau ʻole a ke kīhāhā nei, a e hoʻolako i ke kōkua kānāwai a me ka pale ʻana i nā wā pilikia a pilikia paha.

Information page

The information page contains personal data and details about the bearer including the following:

• Photograph of the passport bearer (digitally printed)
• Type of document (P, D, or R)
• Code of issuing state (KSI)
• Passport number
• Surname
• Given name(s)
• Nationality
• Date of Birth
• Place of Birth (lists the PSALT followed by, "K.S." for those born in the Kingdom of Sierra; lists the current name of the country or territory of birth for those abroad; bearers have a choice to list the city of birth instead of the country, while certain birthplaces may only be listed as cities such as those from Hainan and Taiwan or the West Bank)
• Sex (Gender)
• Date of Issue
• Date of Expiration
• Authority
• Machine Readable Zone starting with [P, D, or R]<KSI<[Surname]<[sufficient angled brackets to fill out the rest of the first line and start the second line]<[Given name(s)]<<[Passport number + 1 digit]KSI[Date of Birth + 1 digit + Sex + Date of Expiration + 10 digits]<<[6 digits]

Bearers whose primary language is not English but is one of Sierra's nine other official languages (including Hawaiian) have the legal right and option to include corresponding translations to the English labels that appear on the page. Such additions may be done free of charge. Non-official languages may be featured on the passport at the discretion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if provided with written request. Such additions may be done free of charge excluding processing fees. The passport page can support up to 2 additional languages aside from English if necessary for multilingual bearers or frequent international travelers.

Bearers who possess a title of nobility as a member of the Sierran peerage must provide evidence and confirmation by the Lord Trenton or their provincial, state, or areal heraldic leader that their title exists and belongs to them. Bearers who are approved will have the surname accompanied with a territorial designation and their full name accompanied by their main title.

Languages

By law, speakers of Sierra's ten official languages are constitutionally guaranteed official passports which are printed with their own language. Nonetheless, English is the de facto working language of official Sierran documents and correspondence, and consequently, is the sole, default language used in Sierran passports. Thus, while passports printed in Sierra's other official languages must be printed and available upon request, they are only required for bearers who have requested it. In all instances, English must appear on every Sierran passport with equal or greater prominence, although it may be accorded secondary or tertiary placement if it appears on a passport printed in another language (in some cases, two others).

Visa requirements

Main article: Visa requirements for Sierran citizens

Visa requirements for Sierran citizens are administrative entry restrictions by authorities of other states placed on citizens of the Kingdom of Sierra. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, holders of regular Sierran passports could visit 180 countries and dependent territories visa-free or visa upon arrival. This places the passport as the seventh in terms of travel freedom (tied with Astoria, Brazoria, Superior, and the United Commonwealth). Due to the pandemic, numerous countries have restricted visa-free entry for Sierrans and vice versa.

See also

• Visa policy of the Kingdom of Sierra
• Visa requirements for Sierran citizens
• National Identification Card (Sierra)