Belgium introduces new passports. Comic book characters are depicted on their pages.

On January 27, the Belgian government released a new passport with comic book characters in the design. Comic book characters such as Lucky Luke and The Smurfs, as well as baroque buildings, can be seen on the pages of the new Belgian passport. The issuance of new passports for everyone will begin on February 7, 2022 in all municipalities of Belgium.

According to a press release from the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the passport will be instantly recognizable due to its original design as a tribute to the cartoon characters. The old passport will be valid after February 7 - until the expiration date indicated in it.

According to the RTBF television channel, the country's authorities believe that the updated passport design will present the culture and art of Belgium in a new way. The new passport will be valid for seven years for adults and five years for minors.

The new passport design features many gothic and baroque buildings. In addition, besides the characters of "The Smurfs" and "Lucky Luke", you can see Tintin, a moon rocket and Mulensar's mansion.

While the passport's appearance has become more cartoonish, its security has been improved, according to the Belgian government, and the number of security features has been doubled up to 48.