These Are 12 of the Coolest Passport Stamps Worth Traveling For
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If you want a passport that’s the envy of your family and friends, you need to start collecting the world’s coolest passport stamps. While it often involves queueing up at border control, collecting passport stamps is satisfying, exciting, and enjoyable. For starters, it usually means you’re visiting somewhere new.
Admiring the stamps we collect is a simple pleasure only travelers can share and understand. The fact you’ve stumbled across this article tells us you’re just like us in that respect. Here are 12 epic passport stamps you can collect on your travels. The entries on our list are unique, intriguing, and quite beautiful.
Montserrat, Caribbean
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Montserrat is a mountainous Caribbean island that draws travelers in with the promise of impressive scenery, picturesque beaches, and crystal-clear turquoise waters. However, your entertainment on the island will start before you leave the airport. On arrival, your passport will be stamped with a unique cloverleaf passport stamp.
Easily one of the world’s coolest passport stamps, it may surprise a few to see this type of stamp in the Caribbean. After all, Montserrat isn’t Ireland, an island nation recognized for its love of the cloverleaf. However, as a British Overseas Territory with a strong Irish influence, the cloverleaf is an appropriate stamp for the Emerald Isle. We love how bright green this stamp is.
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Machu Picchu, Peru
Did you know you don’t always have to have your passport stamped at an airport? If not, there’s a good chance you’ve missed out on some pretty awesome passport stamps during your travels. Take Machu Picchu, for example. Visitors to the 15th-century Incan citadel in Eastern Peru can have their passports stamped with a neat design in Aguas Calientes.
In Aguas Calientes, a small town below Machu Picchu, you’ll find a visitor center that has a stamp you can use to add a visual reminder of your time at the Lost City to your passport. This stamp is free to use, and it displays a fantastic image of the Incan citadel with the words Machu Picchu underneath.
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North Korea
The North Korean passport stamp might not look like much, but it’s one of the coolest passport stamps in the world for another reason. That is because very few tourists venture into North Korea. Therefore, this is one of the rarest passport stamps you can obtain. If you can get your passport stamped in North Korea, there’s no denying you’re a traveling pro.
Imagine the conversations with your friends when you’re comparing passport stamps, and you reveal the North Korea stamp. Now, that’s better than finding the rarest Pokemon card. Perhaps the only downside is that North Korea didn’t make its stamp look more interesting. All the stamp features is the date you entered the country.
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Cambodia
Most travelers visit Cambodia to explore the nation’s world-famous historical landmarks and ancient temples, the main highlight being Angkor Wat. In recognition of the country’s greatest treasure, Cambodian border control stamps visitors’ passports with an Angkor Wat stamp. This unique stamp is a fantastic reminder of your time exploring the temple complex.
Besides the small picture of the main Angkor Wat temple, this passport stamp includes the dates you are permitted entry to the country and a border that reads Cambodia Immigration. I love how this stamp stands out in my passport. It looks much cooler than the standard bureaucratic stamps other countries’ border controls stamp your passport.
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Antarctica
Antarctica is often the last continent travelers visit, so it only seems fitting that it has an epic passport stamp. Luckily, the continent rewards visitors with a super cool passport stamp featuring an image of a penguin. Let’s face it: who doesn’t want a stamp of a penguin on their passport?
You can obtain a Russian Antarctic Expedition passport stamp from the scientific research station on King George Island or a bright red passport stamp from the Penguin Post Office in Port Lockroy. Interestingly, this post office is also a pretty historic place to visit because it’s the United Kingdom’s most southerly public Post Office. The Post Office is called the Penguin Post Office because adorable penguins surround it regularly. We don’t know about you, but that sounds like a fantastic place to send a letter.
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Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic Ocean
Tristan da Cunha is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean with less than 300 people. It is 1,750 miles (2,816 kilometers) from mainland South Africa and 2,090 miles (3,360 kilometers) from mainland South America, and it is only reachable by boat. This group of islands is widely considered the world’s most remote islands.
Obtaining a passport stamp from Tristan da Cunha is one of the most incredible things you can do while traveling. Obviously, it’s also one of the most challenging passport stamps to get. Luckily, your efforts will be rewarded with an epic stamp featuring an image of the island with a seagull flying over it.
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Easter Island, Chile
Easter Island is a remote volcanic island in Polynesia best known for its archaeological sites, which include almost 900 fascinating statues called Moai. Created by the island’s inhabitants during the 13th and 16th centuries, the Moai are carved human figures with oversized heads. Travelers from across the globe head to the island to glimpse the statues.
As a Chilean territory, travelers get their passports stamped in Santiago. However, it would be unfair for tourists to travel to one of the world’s remote islands and not be rewarded with a cool passport stamp. Therefore, travelers can have their passports stamped with a unique Moai statue stamp at the local post office.
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Cayman Islands, Caribbean
If you’re traveling the world in search of the coolest passport stamps, look no further than the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory famed for its luxury vacation resorts, world-class snorkeling and scuba diving sites, and pristine white sand beaches. Here, you’ll have your passport stamped with an entry stamp that features a turtle.
We’re not just talking about any turtle, either. This stamp features an image of Sir Turtle. For those who don’t know, Sir Turtle is the unofficial logo of the Cayman Islands. Turtles have always been an essential part of the history of the Cayman Islands, so it’s only fitting that they are featured on the nation’s passport stamp. Keep your eyes peeled for the Sir Turtle mascot during your trip.
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Japan
Let’s face it: Japan is one of the most extraordinary countries in the world, so it’s hardly a surprise it has a cool passport stamp. However, just how magnificent the stamp is will likely surprise you. Upon arrival in Japan, most travelers receive an entry permit. A border control stamp will be placed on your passport to mark your entry.
This stamp features the entry date, how long you’re granted entry, and when you must leave. However, the first thing you’ll notice when you look at the stamp is the beautiful picture of Mount Fuji, the most iconic mountain in Japan. If you’re planning to visit Mount Fuji, this stamp is a neat reminder you made the trip.
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Maldives
The Maldives has been considered one of the world’s premier snorkeling destinations for many years. The country’s passport stamp recognizes the island’s rich snorkeling heritage, depicting an underwater world featuring a sea turtle, fish, and coral reef. The stamp also features the sun, an airplane, and the sky.
We don’t know what you think, but that undoubtedly sounds like one of the world’s most excellent passport stamps. What we love even more about the Maldives passport stamp is how the entry and exit stamps are different colors. The entry stamp is green, and the exit stamp is blue. The Maldives passport stamp also details your entry date, permitted entry duration, and exit date.
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San Marino
Vatican City may be Europe’s smallest state and the smallest country in the world, but San Marino is the tiniest European state where you can get a passport stamp. It is an enclave microstate approximately 24 square miles (61 square kilometers) in size, and Italy surrounds it on all sides.
San Marino also claims to be the world’s oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic. These fascinating facts make the San Marino passport stamp one of the world’s coolest. Admittedly, the stamp doesn’t look as unique as other stamps, but the stories you can tell when you have it are. The stamp is rectangular, features the crest of San Marino, and details your entry to the country.
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Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and headland along Spain’s south coast. Many tourists visit Gibraltar to visit the Rock of Gibraltar, a 1,397-foot (426-meter) high limestone ridge. During your visit to the British Overseas Territory, make sure you get your passport stamped by the Gibraltar Tourist Board.
While this stamp isn’t a legal requirement because your passport will also be stamped at immigration, it’s a neat addition to your passport. You can obtain this bright red stamp from the Gibraltar Heritage Trust Information Office at John Mackintosh Square. It features the letters G, I, and B in the shape of the Rock of Gibraltar with the sun behind it. It also says, ‘Thank you for visiting the Rock of Gibraltar’ on the stamp.
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