In October 1920, a meeting held in France changed the way we travelled forever. It invented the modern passport.
It doesn't matter what nationality you are, passports across the world all look the same — with a similar number of pages, size, design and layout.
This is because the League of Nations — an intergovernmental organisation founded after the First World War to maintain world peace — convened in Paris for the Paris Conference on Passports & Customs Formalities and Through Tickets. Here, for the first time, a set of standards for all passports issued by members of the League was agreed upon.
![The passport, as we know it, was invented by the League of Nations in 1920. Photo / 123RF](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/ITOBNURLH55ICBOFG7MUR3ZJFM.jpg?auth=45412c22f80102054f3fa7c91b943ec1e5da9633fde2c740a8307db1c348008a&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Prior to World War I, passports were not required for travel within Europe, and crossing a border was a relatively straightforward procedure. But during the war, that all changed. European governments cracked down on immigration and travel for security reasons, introducing tougher border requirements.