Brussels, Europe Breif News – Belgium has released its new passport with comic designs from Tintin and the Smurfs.
Sophie Wilmès, Belgian foreign minister, said the characters were “a central element of our culture and our influence abroad.”
The characters are “a central element of our culture and our influence abroad” by Belgian foreign minister Sophie Wilmès.
“The Belgian passport is one of the best in the world. It is a source of pride for us, but also an object of desire for counterfeiters,” she added.
”This is why we are constantly working to improve its security.“
The move has cause no small amount of jealousy from citizens of nations whose passports aren’t quite as whimsical.
“I guess I am applying for a Belgian citizenship then?” tweeted one social media user, while another commented: “Brb moving to Belgium.”
“What a novel method of honoring the culture and expanding it at the same point,” wrote one fan of the design.
Twitter user Sandeep Chowdhury went one step further, declaring it “the world’s coolest passport.”
The first page of the redesigned passport will feature Tintin’s red and white chequered moon rocket. Images of the Smurfs, Lucky Luke, Blake and Mortimer, and Marsupilami adorn the remainder of the travel document.
In Belgium, with its two distinct linguistic regions, Tintin and other famous comic book characters are some of the few objects of shared national identity.
French-language Belgian newspaper Le Soir joked that holders of the new passport should not leave it in reach of children, who might be tempted to colour in the official document.
