A United Nations Laissez-Passer is a travel document issued by the United
Nations under the provisions of Article VII of the 1946 Convention on the
Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations in its offices in New York and
Geneva, as well as by the International Labour Organization. As of 30 April 2010
there were 35,577 UNLPs outstanding. The UNLP is issued to UN and ILO staff as
well as staff members of international organizations such as the WHO, the IAEA,
the World Tourism Organization, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
Organization Preparatory Commission, the Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary
Fund, and the World Bank. The document is written in English and French.
The UNLP is a valid travel document, which can be used like a national
passport. However, UNLP holders often encounter immigration officials who are
unfamiliar with the document and require them to show a national passport in
addition. As with national passports, some countries/regions accept it for
entry without the need for a visa, while most require a visa before it can be
accepted for entry to the country. This is regardless of the nationality of the
UNLP holder. Most officials hold a blue UNLP, which
is similar in legal status to a service passport. A red UNLP is issued to
particularly high officials, and depending on their rank, this may confer
diplomatic privileges and the red UNLP may therefore be similar to a diplomatic
passport. Name and signature page
A data page has a visual zone and a machine-readable zone. The visual zone
has a photograph of the holder, data about the passport, and data about the
LP holder much similar to a normal passport. The nationality and place of
birth of the passport holder is not mentioned in a UNLP, but the UN is used
in fields similar to issuing country. Photograph
Type [of document, which is "LP" for "Laissez-Passer"]
Code [of the issuing organization, which is "UNO/UNA" for "United Nations
Organization/Agency"] Laissez-passer No.
Surname Given Name(s)
Title [Job Title] Date of Birth
Sex Official of [UNO/UNA for United Nations
Organization/Agency] Date of Issue
Date of Expiry Authority [United Nations/Nations Unies
followed by the code of the issuing city, e.g. GVA for Geneva]
Signature The first line of a machine-readable
zone of the passport contains a letter to denote the type of travel document,
followed by the code normally used for the citizenship of the passport holder,
and the name of the passport holder. When visa are placed in a UNLP, the same
practice should be followed, and in the nationality field, UNO/UNA should be
placed. This guideline however is often not observed.
e-UNLP Effective 3 September 2012, all
applicants for new LPs received by the UN Office in Geneva will be issued the
new "e-UNLPs" and there will be no renewal of current UNLPs. The new
"e-UNLP" is fully compliant with international standards established by
the International Civil Aviation Organization. These include the use of
bio-chip technology, facial recognition identification and employs strict
photographic standards for passport documents. All "e-UNLPS" will be issued
with a five-year fixed duration, regardless of contract expiration and
will not contain dependents. The validity period of the new e-UNLP cannot
be extended and additional visa pages cannot be added. Existing LPs will
retain the validity date stipulated in the document.
See also European Union Laissez-Passer
Interpol Travel Document References
Bibliography Munch, Wolfgang, "The UN Laissez Passer:
Legal Reflections and Managerial Issues", From Bilateralism to Community
Interest: Essays in Honour of Bruno Simma, Oxford University Press, ISBN
9780199588817