What is the difference between passport, visa and Hong Kong and Macao pass?

The difference between visa and passport:

It is mainly reflected in the difference in the relationship between the two. The passport is a book, and the visa is affixed to this book. A passport is equivalent to an ID card, and a visa is equivalent to a pass. The difference between visas and passports reflects their different definitions, functions, and application processes.

The difference between a passport and a Hong Kong and Macao pass:

The passport and the Hong Kong and Macao pass are two different documents. The passport is mainly used for traveling abroad and can be used to prove one's identity in other countries. When traveling abroad, you can stay in Hong Kong and Macau. The fee for applying for a passport for the first time is RMB 200, and the fee for re-issuing a passport is RMB 400 per passport. The validity period of adult passports is generally 10 years, and the validity period of minors' passports is 5 years.

The Hong Kong and Macao Pass is used by domestic residents to travel to the Hong Kong or Macao Special Administrative Region for private purposes, visit relatives, engage in business, training, employment and other non-official activities. The cost of a travel permit to and from Hong Kong and Macao is NT$100, and each endorsement is NT$20. Secondary endorsements are NT$40 each, plus an additional endorsement fee of NT$20.

Extended information:

The origin of the passport:

In China, the origin of the passport can be traced back to the Warring States Period. The ancient Chinese used "seals", "deeds", "photo discs", "passes" and "talisman" made of bamboo slips, cloth, wooden boards, gold, jade or paper. Documents such as "Fu Chuan", "Road Permit" and "Road Guide" are used to enter and exit the border fortress Guanjin, and the contents similar to modern visas are recorded on them.

In the Qing Dynasty, according to the pass document, the identity was proved, the border customs inspection agency was requested to provide "protection" and "care", and the function of providing passage convenience and necessary assistance was provided.

In the 20th century, the Qing government attached great importance to the management of passports, and the category of "travel passports" appeared. Jilin Jiangjun Yamen also formulated passport regulations and attached passport specifications. During the Republic of China, the central government formulated a relatively complete passport system. On January 31, 1932, the National Government promulgated the Passport Regulations.

After the founding of New China, the passport of the People’s Republic of China was printed and launched, and a system for the printing, issuance, use and management of passports was formulated. The Western name for passport, "passport", does not come from "seaport" (seaport), but from the document used in the Middle Ages to pass through the gate ("porte") of the city wall.

In medieval Europe, certain documents could be issued to travelers by local ruling powers, generally including a list of towns through which the holder was allowed to pass. This system continued in France, for example, until 1860. During this time, a passport was not necessary to travel to the seaport, which was related to free trade, but it was required to fill out the passport from the seaport to the inland city.

Early passports often, but not always, included a description of the holder's body; photographs were not added until the first decade of the 20th century. The word "PASSPORT" was first translated as "passport" in 1845 and is still used today. The Nansen Passport is an internationally recognized identity card, pioneered by the League of Nations for stateless refugees.

Designed in 1922 by Norwegian diplomat Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen; until 1942, 52 countries recognized the passport, and a total of about 45 were issued Wanben has helped hundreds of thousands of stateless people immigrate to other countries. The Nansen International Refugee Relief Bureau, which coordinated the issuance of Nansen passports, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1938.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Passport