Frivolous Subject: The meaning of the 5 stars on a passport
There is a HUGE myth in the freedom community about the meaning of the number of stars on a passport. Below are some samples:
Members MAY NOT discuss this subject on the site WITHOUT providing court admissible LEGAL evidence it is true from:
- Statutes
- Regulations.
- Government documents
Below is one explanation we found, but it isn’t evidence:
https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/53146/meaning-of-asterisks-and-binary-mask-in-the-us-visa
The above says:
After reading a lot of other sections of 9 FAM and 22 CFR, and some versions at archive.org going back to before 2000, I am pretty well convinced that while these features do serve a purpose, that purpose is classified and appears only in a classified section of 9 FAM, if at all.
Here is another source on the subject, but it too has no evidence to back it up:
Quick Answer: What Do The Stars On My Passport Card Mean – BikeHike
We also asked Chris Gronski of DestinationFreedom.com who does a lot of passport stuff whether he had evidence to substantiate what the stars mean. Below was his answer:
Patriotic myths no such facts or evidence. We asked the State Department in a FOIA and they said (in writing) it was security in nature and was classified. One of our clients the husband had 4 stars (on the card) there are no stars on passports; his wife had 3 and 3 of their minor children had 3 and one had 4. Go figure. The husband had a high military security clearance. We polled our clients we have stars 1 through 5 I have 3… I think it has to do with how good looking you are. I’m glad I’m a 3. I have facts to back this up. Lol
[Chris Gronski, 6/2/24]
In our own case:
1. Our newer passport has no stars but on the lower right corner is a numeral 3.
2. Our passport card has three stars but no number like on the passport.
The short answer about the meaning of the number of stars seems to be that its purpose is top secret, like your CSP code: