Nansen passports, originally and officially stateless persons passports, were internationally recognized refugee travel documents from 1922 to 1938, first issued by the League of Nations's Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees to stateless refugees. They quickly became known as "Nansen passports" for their promoter, the Norwegian statesman and polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen.
The front cover of a Nansen passport (green stripe)
Nansen passport cover; Police office, Prague, Czechoslovakia, 1930
Nansen passport renewal stamp; Nansen International Office for Refugees, 1930
Memorial plaque (partial view); outside wall, City Hall, Oslo, Norway, 2007
A refugee travel document is a travel document issued to a refugee by the state which they normally reside in, allowing them to travel outside that state and to return there. Refugees are unlikely to be able to obtain passports from their state of nationality and therefore need travel documents so that they might engage in international travel.
The bio-data page of an Australian refugee travel document issued to a Chinese refugee
The bio-data page of a New Zealand refugee travel document issued to a Chinese refugee
Canadian Refugee Travel Document
Australian Refugee Travel Document
