The barcode on the fake-passport comes from the original blog article posted on the website heritagedaily.com. it’s written underneath
This heritagedaily is a blog dedicated to paleontology and archeology that CLEARLY STATES THE FAKE PASSPORT IMAGE WAS CREATED TO ILLUSTRATE THE BLOG ARTICLE
The creator of the heritagedaily website confirmed to the fact-checking website linked above that he created it in 2018 and then republished it in 2020
Other versions are online, one more minimalistic, another in Arabic. All are false.
The mummy was received in France in a big show, with honors becoming of a sovereign. No mention of passport in any interview or article from that time.
The person in charge of documentary studies at the Egyptian antiquities Department of the Louvre Elisabeth David states that there is no fundament for the existence of a passport.
There is NO FRENCH LEGISLATION ACCORDING TO DECEASED HUMAN PEOPLE REQUIRE PASSPORTS
Mummies aren’t even considered as “people” in case of a transport they are considered as “goods”.
Elisabeth David cites a report from the Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle (National Natural History Museum) issued in 1985 as possible reason for this confusion:
[Translation by me: “Obviously, for such a grand figure to leave Egypt, obtaining a "pass”(port) required reaching out to the highest authorities of both countries, after reaching a mutual agreement, after long and tedious negotiations.“]
Okay so obviously I’m not a professional translator so I’m not exactly sure how it reads in English, but in french it’s pretty clear that the person writing just uses the term "passport” as a metaphor for the long and tedious procedures required to get the mummy out of the country, just as for issuing a passport. She uses it so the sentence reads as “obtaining an okay [to pass through]”.
(Anyone who’s ever had to deal with the french administration will have similar feelings on such a matter.)
TLDR: THE WHOLE IMAGE WAS CREATED TO ILLUSTRATE A BLOG ARTICLE. THERE IS NO SUCH FRENCH LEGISLATION
Mostly English-speaking websites relay either the default faulty assertion, or the version according to which only the photo is fake but there was a passport, probably because they don’t have to the original 1985 report that mentions this “passport” nor access to this fact-checking article that provides the full context. (The latter part of the sentence is a hypothesis by ME)
MISINFORMATION SPREADS FAST BUT FACT CHECKING TAKES HOURS
PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE
The original fact-checking article cites and links all relevant sources. This website is a trusted fact-checking website operating under strict guidelines. It is a foundation with no political, commercial, or ideological ties.
