A European passport is a passport issue by a member country of the European Union to its citizens. European passports share common design features such as the burgundy coloured cover, the use of the words "European Union" (before 1997: "European Community") in 12 of the EU official languages on the first page, as well as common security features and biometrics. Some EU countries also issue non-European passports to people whose citizenship of that country does not make them citizens of the European Union (e.g., British Overseas Territories citizens, British National (Overseas)).