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In practical terms, what does this actually mean?

I assume that only US entry/exit points "scan" US passports to determine whether a passport is valid or faked etc. (Or maybe European partners do too?)

But for entry and exit in most of the world, a foreign passport is just the physical object itself -- a foreign passport may be scanned, but just to record its details for domestic purposes, not to check its authenticity against any kind of international database. I assume that, in most countries, entering on a false foreign passport is a local crime, but do most country's laws or procedures say anything about foreign passports that have been "revoked" by the home country before their expiration date?



Former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer was arrested in Japan's Narita International Airport attempting to travel using a revoked US passport. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer#Detention_in_Japa...

Though he wasn't deported to the US, but was held there for a few months, perhaps a year, before being allowed to fly to Iceland and claim asylum. That was arranged by chess friends of Fischer in Iceland, not Fischer himself.


I don't think Cuba or Venezuela would care if he has a valid passport. He seems to have already got diplomatic treatment from the two countries. The US' mistake was waiting until the 21st to revoke his passport.


I always assumed that there was an international database, e.g. interpol, at least between the EU and US. But maybe not between Cuba and the US.


I believe that there are lists of stolen and revoked passports that are issued between countries for just this purpose.




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