In 1976 Egypt issued a passport to the mummy of Ramesses II for examination in Paris

In September 1976 Egypt issued a passport for the Pharaoh Ramesses II. The document certified that Ramesses II was indeed the Pharaoh of Egypt and had been born in 1303 BC. Egyptian scientists had noticed that the pharaoh's body had begun to decay rapidly, possibly owing to the action of a fungus, and it was decided to carry out an urgent examination of the exhibit in Paris. However, under French law any person, living or dead, may cross the French state border only with a passport, and to process the transport of the pharaoh's body as the shipment of a museum exhibit would have taken far too long, and time was worth its weight in gold given the critical condition of the mummy. The genuine passport eased the journey to France of a pharaoh who had ruled Egypt for 67 years, and there, as protocol required, he was received as a person of royal blood. On arrival Ramesses was taken to the Paris Museum of Ethnology for examination and conservation, where he remained for several months.