Canada Has The Coolest Passport Ever

Leave it to Canada to surprise us every so often, reminding us that our polite neighbors to the north are actually totally badass. I mean, Canada kept its latest trick up its sleeve for more than a year before it was discovered this week. It turns out that the new Canadian passport reveals hidden images under a black light, and they're really, really trippy. We're not talking an extra maple leaf here and there, but full-on psychedelic scenes straight out of some bureaucrat's acid trip. If you're a passport-carrying Canadian citizen, then do yourself a favor and get thee under a black light pronto. Trust us, your mind will be blown.

When Canada's new passport was unveiled in October 2012, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird made no mention of this cool secret feature. In fact, when describing the visuals on the new passport's pages, he couldn't have made the thing sound less exciting.

Canada’s new passport is not just a ticket to new places, new cultures, and new experiences. It tells the world who we are: a nation built on freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

Blah blah blah... Sounds like a snoozefest if you ask me. It's almost as if the Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry was hiding this gem on purpose. Was Canada trolling?

The 16 images featured in the new passport include sports references like the Grey Cup and Stanley Cup, Canadian landmarks like old Quebec City and Parliament Hill, and loads of historic figures who all look the same. These new images were part of an effort to make the new passport, which was released in July 2013, more difficult to counterfeit. What the officials didn't mention at the time was another security measure, one that would most likely elude counterfeiters, as it eluded the entire world until now.

Hidden UV images! Call up some friends, put on some Tiesto, and hang up those strobe lights because we're about to party. Leave the glowsticks at home, though, because all you need is Canada's new passport.

Parliament Hill

That stodgy old building becomes a festive celebration with multicolored fireworks.

Niagara Falls

You've never seen Niagara Falls like this: bathed in moonlight and dripping with psychedelic colors. Maybe Canada's tourism board should take a cue from this.

A Locomotive Going Across the Canadian Prairies

You probably never thought you could be so mesmerized by wheat until now.

The Fathers of Confederation

The UV effects make these historical figures look at once ghostly and ready to party.

Nellie McClung and Terry Fox

Neon colors look good on Canadian feminist Nellie McClung and Canadian athlete Terry Fox.

Samuel de Champlain

The "Father of New France" founded New France and Quebec City, so the least Canada can do is give him some sunlight and a compass he can actually see.

Cape Spear, Newfoundland and Labrador

This is kind of how Vincent van Gogh would have rendered the area.

General Information

Okay, so sometimes all you need are a couple extra maple leaves.

The Previous Passport

Apparently, the previous passport version also featured some trippy hidden images, which Canada never let on about either. It's this kind of nonchalance that makes Canada that much cooler.

Images: chachichachichicken/Imgur