Romfilatelia will introduce into circulation on Tuesday, March 14th, the postage stamps issue entitled Romanian Passport Day, consisting of a stamp with the face value of Lei 11, a First Day Cover and a maxicard for maximaphily enthusiasts.
The contour graphic elements for the globe, dove and passport are printed in UV-visible ink, suggesting the security features of the document, but emphasising the role of the passport – free circulation and area of circulation.
People have always traveled, but for this they needed identification documents. Bearing various names over time – affidavits, travel books, salvconducts, traffic sheets, travel sheets, passports, they sometimes included a physical description of the bearer. The modern concept of a passport for multiple trips and destinations, issued by the nation to which its holder belongs, did not appear until the 20th century.
In our history, the term passport appears for the first time in the Organic Regulations (1831 – 1832), but in the modern sense, it is adopted during the time of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, in 1865, when the Council of Ministers of the United Principalities decided that “to entry and exit from the country’s borders, passports should be endorsed only by the military authority”, and “any traveler should be able to travel inside the country, without being subject to any passport visa, or what else is required of them at city barriers”.
A law on passports was promulgated by Charles I on March 19, 1912. These documents were issued in the name of the king, and the record of their issuance fell to the Ministry of the Interior, to which the other issuing authorities were obliged to report quarterly.
As today, the passports of the beginning of the 20th century had a fixed validity period, but somewhat shorter than 3, 6 or 12 months, and the fee paid for their issuance depended on this period: 3 lei, 5 lei, and 10 lei respectively lei. Although they were individual, in addition to the holder, his relatives, “husband, wife and legitimate minor children” could also be registered. Naturally, the law also included punishments, referring to the punitive measures provided for in the Penal Code.
On December 31, 2008, the Romanian simple electronic passport was put into circulation, and the implementation of the IT system for issuing it was extended at the national level, so that passports are issued to applicants within the legally established deadlines. With the introduction of simple electronic passports into circulation, the Romanian authorities will apply the principle of one person – one passport. As technology advances, and remote communication in a secure environment becomes the new norm, there is no doubt that tomorrow`s Romanian passport can take on new dimensions, always meeting the needs of society.
Romfilatelia thanks the representatives of the General Directorate of Passports within the Ministry of Interior for their documentary support in the development of this postage stamps issue.
The philatelic issue will be available starting Tuesday, March 14th, 2023, in Romfilatelia’s shops network in Bucharest, Bacău, Brașov, Cluj-Napoca, Iași and Timișoara and online on https://romfilatelia.ro/store/.
For further information, please contact the Public Relations Office:
Tel: 021 / 336 93 92
