For decades, getting a passport stamp was part of the travel experience. Now, more countries are quietly moving away from them.
Until just a few years ago, it seemed like a rite of passage (and a literal one, at that) – enter a new country, get a stamp on your passport. Exit that country, get another stamp on your passport. Frequent travelers often needed extra pages—or even a second passport—just to keep up. And don’t forget—your passport was a physical reminder of all your international travels.
But in the past few years, that’s becoming less and less the case. Thanks to technology, your passport can be scanned by a digital reader upon entering the country of choice, and your entry is recorded digitally instead of with a stamp.
Right now, 137 countries still stamp visitors’ passports upon entry and exit. The vast majority of them are in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. But here’s the status of the other 60-something:
Entry stamp only (no exit stamp)
- Anguilla
- Antigua
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Grenada
- Fiji
- Montserrat
- Palestine
- St. Kitts
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent
- Trinidad & Tobago
- United States of America
Currently phasing out stamps
These countries are phasing out passport stamps or using e-gates at larger airports and stamps at smaller ones.
- Cambodia
- Canada
- Ireland
- Japan
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- All 29 countries of the Schengen zone (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland)
- South Korea
- Uruguay
No longer offer passport stamps
- Albania (2023)
- Argentina (2022)
- Australia (2012)
- Cuba (pre-1980)
- Israel (2013)
- Iran (2016)
- Hong Kong (2013)
- Jamaica (2017)
- North Korea
- Peru (2023)
- Macau (2013)
- Singapore (2026)
- United Kingdom (2026)
Open borders (no stamps)
- Andorra
- Liechtenstein
- Monaco
- San Marino
- Vatican City
Is it still possible to get a stamp?
Even though the world is shifting towards digital records, many countries still offer passport stamps under certain circumstances:
- Specific Entry/Exit Points: Not all ports of entry have e-gates yet. Smaller airports, land borders, etc. may still use manual stamping as a matter of course.
- Specific Visa Requirements: Certain types of visas or entry permits may require a physical stamp in your passport as proof of entry or the conditions of your stay.
- Proof of Entry/Exit for Specific Purposes: If you think you’re going to need physical proof of entry or exit, request a stamp.
- Technical Glitches or System Outages: It doesn’t happen often, but technological glitches can happen. When they do, immigration authorities might revert back to manual stamping until the electronic method works again.
Can’t you still just ask for a passport stamp?
You can ask, but there’s no guarantee.
Even if a country “officially” no longer offers passport stamps, immigration officers in most countries typically still have the authority to stamp a passport. So if you politely ask for a stamp, they might oblige, especially if they’re not very busy. Doesn’t hurt to ask.
- Be polite about it: You’re asking for a favor, so be nice. 😉 Explain that you collect passport stamps and would it be possible for them to stamp your passport?
- Have your passport ready: Don’t make the immigration officer look through your passport to find where it needs to be stamped. Have it open to the next blank page.
- Read the room: If the immigration line is long, or if the officer looks stressed, don’t ask them – they have better things to do.
- Be ready for them to say no: For whatever reasons (official instructions or limitations), an immigration officer may not be allowed to stamp your passport. Accept it with grace.
Passport stamps aren’t completely gone—yet. But if you enjoy collecting them, you may want to start asking now…before they disappear for good.
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