Norway to launch designer passports

Norwegian passports will soon go stylish as the country's National Police Directorate has announced the winner of a competition to redesign the document.

Neue, a design studio based in Oslo, was declared the winner, with simple line depictions of natural landscapes from the country drawn in pastel shades, the Guardian reported.

When viewed under ultraviolet light, the pages transform into views of the Northern Lights in the night sky.

The cover has a golden stamp of the national crest - white for immigrants, turquoise blue for diplomats and red for standard passports.

"All Norwegians are connected to nature; it is a very strong part of our history and defines us as a country," Gorill Kvamme of Neue was quoted as saying.

The minimal concept, he says came from looking to find the "essence of something".

Neue will now work with the National Police Directorate to balance the design with the various security features needed in a passport.

The designed passports are expected to be released within next two years.