View source for Certificate of identity

{{other uses|Identity certificate (disambiguation)}}{{See also|Refugee identity certificate|Refugee travel document}}
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{{short description|Travel document issued by a country to non-citizens}}
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|footer=A 1954 Convention travel document issued in Germany in 2008. Australian Certificate of identity.
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[[File:WP Eichmann Passport.jpg|thumb|right|240px|The [[International Red Cross|Red Cross]] identity certificate [[Adolf Eichmann]] used to enter [[Argentina]] under the fake name Ricardo Klement in 1950, issued by the Italian delegation of the Red Cross of Geneva]]

A '''certificate of identity''', sometimes called an '''alien's passport''', is a [[travel document]] issued by a country to non-citizens (also called [[Alien (law)|alien]]s) residing within their borders who are [[statelessness|stateless persons]] or otherwise unable to obtain a passport from their state of nationality (generally [[refugee]]s). Some states also issue certificates of identity to their own citizens as a form of emergency [[passport]] or otherwise in lieu of a passport. The visa requirements of certificates of identity may be different from those of regular passports.

==Types==

=== 1951 Convention documents (for refugees) ===
A certificate of identity issued to a refugee is also referred to as a [[1951 Convention travel document]] (also known as a [[refugee travel document]] or a Geneva passport), in reference to the 1951 [[Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees]]. 145 countries are parties to the 1951 Convention and 146 countries are parties to the 1967 [[Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees]]. Notably, the United States is not a party to the Convention, but provides travel documents to its lawful permanent residents, either as a [[U.S. Re-entry Permit|Re-entry Permit]] or a refugee travel document under the 1967 Protocol.

=== 1954 Convention documents (for stateless persons) ===
A certificate of identity issued to a stateless person is also referred to as a [[1954 Convention travel document]], in reference to the [[1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons]].<ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Brad K. |editor1-last=Blitz |editor2-first=Maureen |editor2-last=Lynch |title=Statelessness and the Benefits of Citizenship: A Comparative Study |date=June 2009 |publisher=Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and International Observatory on Statelessness |isbn=978-0-9563275-1-2 |page=27}}</ref> 89 countries are parties to the [[Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons|1954 Convention]].

Unlike a refugee travel document, a certificate of identity issued by most countries does not in itself entitle the holder to readmission into the country.

===Non-Convention travel documents===
Non-Convention (or non-National) travel documents are [[travel document]]s issued by a country to non-citizen (also called [[Alien (law)|alien]]) residents who do not have access to passport facilities from their own countries, are not recognized as either Convention refugees, and are not officially [[statelessness|stateless]] under the 1954 [[Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons|Convention relating to the status of stateless persons]] (or the country they live in has not signed that convention). 

In these cases there is no formal international agreement to regulate the issue of travel documents to these people although most countries will issue their own version of a non-convention travel document to residents. These documents broadly meet [[ICAO]] standards for international identity documents. They are known variously as Alien's Passports in mainland Europe and Scandinavia and as a certificate of identity in the [[United Kingdom]], [[Australia]] and [[Hong Kong]].

==National examples==
Certificates of identity are issued under various names, including:
* {{flag|Australia}} – [[Australian Certificate of Identity]]
* {{flag|Brunei}} – [[Bruneian International Certificate of Identity]]
* {{flag|Canada}} – [[Canadian Certificate of Identity]]
* {{flag|Estonia}} – [[Estonian alien's passport]]
* {{flag|Finland}} – {{ill|Finnish Alien's Passport|fi|Muukalaispassi}}
* {{flag|Hong Kong}} – [[Hong Kong Document of Identity for Visa Purposes]]
** {{flagicon|British Hong Kong}} before handover – [[Hong Kong Certificate of Identity]]
* {{flag|India}} – [[Indian Identity Certificate]]
* {{flag|Indonesia}} – {{lang|id|[[Paspor Orang Asing]]}}
* {{flag|Japan}} – [[Japan Re-entry Permit]]
* {{flag|Latvia}} – [[Non-citizens (Latvia)]]
* {{flag|Macau}} – [[Macau Special Administrative Region Travel Permit]]
** {{flagicon|Portuguese Macau|colonial}} before handover – {{lang|pt|Passaporte para Estrangeiros}} ('Passport for foreigners')
* {{flag|Malaysia}} – [[Malaysian Certificate of Identity]]
* {{flag|New Zealand}} – [[New Zealand Certificate of Identity]]
* {{flag|Singapore}} – [[Singapore Certificate of Identity]]
* {{flag|United Kingdom}} – [[British Certificate of Travel]]
* {{flag|United States}} – [[U.S. Re-entry Permit]]

==See also==
* [[Refugee identity certificate]]
* [[Refugee travel document]]
* [[1954 Convention travel document]]
* [[1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons]]
* [[1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness]]
* [[Nansen passport]]
* [[Travel document]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090313062304/http://www.ppt.gc.ca/pptc/documents.aspx?lang=eng Travel documents] Passport Canada
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060717014514/http://www.fijiembassydc.com/default.asp?contentID=523 Certificate of identity] Fijian embassy to the United States
*[https://www.uslegalization.com/fiji/ Certificates of identity] Legalization of Identity Certificate
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070311011112/http://www.gov.my/MyGov/BI/Directory/Citizen/TravelAndTransport/PassportandVisa/CertificateofIdentity/ Certificate of identity] Malaysia
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060827124702/http://www.passports.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Services-Passports-Other-Services?OpenDocument Refugee travel documents and certificates of identity] New Zealand Dept. of Internal Affairs
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061001202920/http://app.ica.gov.sg/serv_pr/travel_doc/app_for_ci.asp Certificates of identity] Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
*[http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/while-in-uk/travel-abroad/traveldocuments/certificateoftravel Certificate of travel] United Kingdom Home Office

{{Non-citizen travel documents}}
{{Passports}}

[[Category:International travel documents]]
[[Category:Identity documents]]