Skip to main content

Papers Please Documents

Papers Please documents, contain information that identifies and verifies an entrant’s ability to enter Arstotzka, allowing the inspector to grant them an entry stamp. The checking and handling of Papers Please Documents occurs on every day and forms the core gameplay of the game.

Documents must be crosschecked to ensure the information on each one of them is consistent and valid, or if an apparent discrepancy is discovered that evidence is found that either proves that the discrepancy does not exist, that the document with the discrepancy is erroneous due to matching fingerprints which override the erroneous information, or the discrepancy is corrected. As the game progresses, gradually more documents are added according to immigration protocol, each containing more features or fields of information. This increases the complexity of checking between them for discrepancies. Near the end of the game, two of the documents are consolidated into one, making the process of checking them simpler.

Papers Please Passport

papers please passportIn Papers Please game every entrant into your office MUST have a passport to be a valid entry, with no exceptions throughout the game. The passport contains the following information: the person’s full name, his or her date of birth, gender, a photo, his or her country, the city within the country that issued the passport, an expiry date for the passport, and a passport number.

Different countries have different colored passports – for example, Arstotzka has a grey passport, and Obristan has a red passport. This color- coding is useful for a few days throughout the game, but otherwise mostly trivial.

to be checked:

  • Name: Compare spelling of names in the passport to all other relevant documents
  • Date of Birth
  • Photo
  • Sex: If in doubt use the inspect tool to verify gender by highlighting the entry in the passport and the entrant’s actual face. If a discrepancy is detected you might get further options as body scanner or fingerprints.
  • Issuing City: Forged passports may have only subtle typos in this section, so compare this carefully to the specific country page in your R&R-book.
  • Date of Expiration: Validate this by checking date with the clock/calendar in the bottom left corner of your desk.

Temporary Visa Slip

Temporary visa slip papers please

A temporary visa slip is a special type of document issued after an entrant is asked for their passport but they are unable to present one. It is one of the three non-passport documents that can be stamped with denial or approval (the other two being a passport seizure slip and Jorji Costava’s fake passport).

As stated below the area for stamping, the slip should be used for denial purposes only, but stamping the slip for approval will, peculiarly enough, approve the person for entry and the inspector will nonetheless receive a citation.

Passport Seizure Slip

Passport seizure slipStarting on Day 24, you will receive the option to confiscate passports. When you do, you are automatically issued a passport seizure slip. You can either Approve or Deny the seizure slip and, unlike the Temporary Visa Slip, the person may still be a valid entrant to the country.

The seizure slip is one of the three non-passport documents that can be stamped with denial or approval (the other two being the temporary visa slip and Jorji Costava’s fake passport).

The slip is usually given to Arstotzkan citizens as Ministry of Admission first requires the confiscation of all Arstotzkan passports from entrants living in Altan district (since day 24) and later from all Arstotzkans (since day 28).

Papers Please Identity Card

papers please identity cardAll Arstotzkan natives will carry an ID card as opposed to an entry pass or access permit. The ID card contains the person’s name, date of birth, height and weight, a photo, and the district (not city) within Arstotzka that issued the ID card.

The following is a list of discrepancies the player should watch for when presented with an identification card:

  • District – Verify that the district is listed in the rulebook.
  • Date of Birth (D.O.B) – Verify that the date of birth matches that of other documents.
  • Photo – if the photo on the ID does not match with the person holding it, or if it does not match with the photo on the passport, it is important to highlight it and interrogate the citizen. The inspector will be given the opportunity to fingerprint the person and verify their identity.
  • Name – The name sometimes may not match some of the other documents; interrogate the owner of the ID if there is a discrepancy in the name.
  • Height – occasionally, the height of the ID’s owner may contain false information (verify the height by checking the measuring lines behind the person;). Because the height could naturally change, a fingerprint test is required to determine if the identity is valid or if the person is an identity thief that should be detained.
  • Weight – similarly to the height discrepancy, sometimes, the reported weight will be off (verify by looking at the scale’s display at the lower right corner of the booth). Citizens with this discrepancy must be searched beginning on day 7. Failure to search in such instances could result in letting a suicide bomber who will will cut the day short, or could allow a smuggler to bring in contraband.

papers please identity card

Papers Please Entry Ticket

All foreigners wishing to enter Arstotzka on Day 3 will require an Entry Ticket. Entry tickets are handed out by the Ministry of Admission to foreigners to Arstotzka on day 3. They are only valid for one specific day, and anyone to provide a ticket with a date either before or after the date of the current day should be denied entry to Arstotzka.

In the game, the entry tickets are only used on day 3, November 25th, 1982. After that, entry tickets become invalid as entry permits replace them. Jorji Costava gets confused and tries to enter using an entry ticket instead of an entry permit on day 8.

Discrepancies to look for :

  • Invalid date (i.e. not November 25th, 1982)
  • Given instead of permit after day 4

Papers Please Entry Permit

papers please entry permitAll foreigners wishing to enter Arstotzka on Days 3 through 26 will require an Entry Permit. The following information are present on an Entry Permit: the entrant’s name, the passport number, the purpose for entry and duration of stay in Arstotzkan, a Date to enter by, and a valid Ministry of Admission Seal. The Entry Permit is discontinued on Day 27.

The entry permit replaces the entry ticket. Unlike the entry ticket, the permit has more information (ex. name of entrant, passport number, etc.), thus making it have more discrepancies to look for. Additionally, it has three new document features introduced on day 4: purpose of visit, duration of stay, and a Ministry of Admission seal. Since the day it is introduced, the inspector will ask to each foreign entrant what the purpose of their visit to Arstotzka is and how long they will stay.

The entry permit is later merged with the identity supplement to form an access permit, which would replace both as a new document and make the others void.

to be checked:

  • Name: compare to entrant’s passport.
  • Passport Number: compare to entrant’s passport.
  • Duration: compare this to the entrant’s statements. If you missed the statements you can always check the audio transcript hidden behind the microphone on your desk. On the picture below is an example of a discrepancy between entrant’s statement and the entry permit highlighted in inspect mode.
  • Purpose: compare this to the entrant’s statements or the audio transcript.
  • Enter by date: the entrant must pass border before this date.
  • Seal: check the documents section in your R&R-book to reveal a forged entry permit.

Papers Please Work Pass

work pass papers pleaseAs of Day 6, all foreigners entering for work require a Work Pass. The Work Passes must have a valid entrant name and valid Ministry of Labour Seal. Furthermore, you must line up the Valid Work End Date with the length of time the worker says he or she will be in the country for, rounding up to the nearest month (for example, if the worker enters on December 2nd and says he or she will
work for a month, although the work end date would effectively be January 2nd of 1983, the end date should be February 1st of 1983).

Discrepancies to look for

  • Entrant’s name is different
  • Valid work end date – Must match or exceed the duration on the entry permit or access permit. If it fails to do either, the inspector is required to deny the entrant.
  • Valid seals – See article on forgery for a list of possible variants.

Fields of Work

All work passes list a more or less specific field the entrant works in. Gameplay-wise, the field of work only matters between days 12 and 15 when entrants whose field is engineering can be given Messof Anegovych’sbusiness cards to unlock the Arstotzkan artoken and a related achievement on day 16. All possible fields are listed below.

  • Accounting
  • Agriculture
  • Architecture
  • Aviation
  • Construction
  • Dentistry
  • Drafting
  • Engineering
  • Fine arts
  • Fishing
  • Food service
  • General labor
  • Healthcare
  • Manufacturing
  • Research
  • Sports
  • Statistics
  • Surveying

Diplomatic Authorization

papers please diplomaticAll Diplomats, who are first seen starting on Day 8, will carry a Diplomatic Authorization. A valid authorization will have a properly corresponding diplomat’s name, passport number, and a valid diplomatic seal (the list of seals can be seen in your rulebook). Additionally, the issuing country must match the nationality of the entrant’s passport, and he or she must have access to Arstotzka.

Diplomats need only a passport and Diplomatic Authorization and, later on, a polio vaccination certificate. They do NOT need any other documents.

Gameplay

Diplomatic authorizations are first seen on day 8. Holders of diplomatic authorization are not required to have an ID supplement, entry permit, or access permit. Holders of diplomatic authorization, however, are required to have a certificate of vaccination once those are instituted on day 26. They also need a passport issued in the same country as their Diplomatic Authorization.

Certificate of Vaccination

Certificate of VaccinationOn Day 26, ALL entrants must have a vaccination certificate. The certificate contains the person’s name, a list of the vaccinations they have received and the date they were done, and a corresponding passport number. If a person did not have a polio vaccination within the last 3 years, that is grounds
for Denial from the country.

Discrepancies to look for

  • Entrant’s name – a discrepancy here requires a fingerprint test to clear or allow detention
  • Passport number – a discrepancy here allows the inspector to detain the entrant
  • Up-to-date polio vaccination – polio needs to be listed in the certificate and the vaccination must be valid. A vaccine expires if it is older than three years compared to the in-game date. An expired vaccination is pointed out by highlighting the date in the booth and the date on the certificate. Either of these discrepancies requires a denial.

to be checked:

  • Name: check with passport.
  • Passport Number: check with passport.
  • Issuing Country: check with passport.
  • Accrediting Countries: check if this document grants access to Arstotzka.
  • Seal: validate the seal with the specific country page in your R&R-book.

Papers Please Identity Supplements

As of Day 11, all foreigners require an Identity Supplement. The ID Supplement lists the person’s height, weight, a brief description of the person’s physical features, a thumbprint, and an expiry date. The Identity Supplement is discontinued as of Day 27 in favour of the access permit.

to be checked:

  • Height: check the height on the left side of your booth to verify this entry.
  • Weight: check the scale on the bottom of your booth to verify this entry.
  • Physical appearance: compare this to the entrant’s face
  • Expiration date: this is a short-issue document, so verify expiration carefully

Discrepancies concerning identity and physical appearance usualy result in further investigation options as use of body scanner or a query of MoA’s fingerprints database.

papers please Identity supplement

International Press Identification (Press ID)

press id papers pleaseOn Day 17, and occasionally on subsequent days, people will show up with press IDs, wishing to enter Arstotzka. All journalists will lack complete valid paperwork, so you can Deny them right away.

An international press identification is a document carried by journalists. It is not valid for entry purposes in Arstotzka and accepting someone with just this and a passport will lead to a citation. This policy leads to two conflicts between the inspector and the members of the press at the border.

This document is only seen twice during the game: on day 17, it is presented by the seventh entrant and on day 20 by the sixth entrant, both being reporters and exclaiming they have right to enter Arstotzka.

The encounter on day 17 is a lose/lose scenario: If the inspector denied the journalist, the next day’s newspaper will comment on the Arstotzkan ‘iron’ border and entry bias. Accepting the journalist leads to a headline on the border being ‘frail’. In both cases, the bad international press leads to the introduction of the reason for denial stamp the next day.

The encounter on day 20 has no consequences other than a citation should the inspector accept the journalist with insufficient documents.

Grant of Asylum

Grant of asylumStarting on Day 21, refugee seekers may enter Arstotzka with a Grant of Asylum. Grants include the person’s name, picture, nationality, passport number, date of birth, weight, height, and fingerprints. The Grant must also have a valid Ministry of Admission seal, and not be expired.

Like Diplomats, refugee seekers only need a Grant, a Passport, and later on a polio vaccination certificate.

Discrepancies to look for

  • Name
  • Photo (can be safely disregarded if the fingerprints match across all documents with them because fingerprint matches show that the photo is outdated if there is a photo mismatch)
  • Nationality
  • Passport number
  • Date of Birth
  • Weight
  • Height (can be safely disregarded if the fingerprints match across all documents with them because fingerprint matches show that the height listing is erroneous if there is a height mismatch)
  • Non-matching fingerprints, see height and photo.
  • Expiration date
  • Invalid or missing Ministry of Admission seal

Access Permit

Access PermitOn Day 27, Entry Permits and Identity Supplements for foreigners are compressed into a single Access Permit. The Access Permit must contain a valid entrant name, passport number, visit purpose, duration of stay, height, weight, corresponding physical appearance, and Ministry of Admission seal. It must also
have not expired.

to be checked:

  • Name
  • Nationality
  • Passport Number
  • Duration of Journey
  • Purpose of Journey
  • Height
  • Weight
  • Physical Appearance
  • Enter by Date
  • Seal

Leave a Reply