What it’s like traveling with a weak passport
Alex from South Africa lives in Singapore and frequently travels overseas for business and pleasure. But her passport is a big deterrent to free-and-easy travel — so much so that she is willing to “gladly” trade it for another.
“If someone offered me a different passport, or my children a different passport, I would grab it with both hands,” said Alex, who asked to be identified only by her first name for privacy reasons.
South Africa’s passport is at 51st position in The Henley Passport Index, which firmly places it in the middle of the global ranking that measures the number of destinations holders can visit without a travel visa.
People with strong passports, including friends, typically don’t understand the cost, time and frustrations of traveling on a passport that doesn’t sit near the top of the list, Alex said.
“Why do I have to upload every single page of my passport from 10 years ago to go on holiday to Australia? If you’re traveling for business, what you have to go through… is crazy.”
A recent trip to Europe with her partner required visas to the Schengen Area as well as the United Kingdom, a process that took six weeks. “We had to be very careful with timelines,” she said.
As she had to turn in her passport for the visa application, she was unable to travel during the entire process. “If you’re someone like me, who travels regularly for work, it’s an issue,” she said.
Preparing a stack full of documents can also be a frustrating experience for those not holding a top-ranked passport.
Alex said a previous visa application to Europe required her financial statements to be stamped by the bank — a detail she learned only after visiting the visa center. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find a bank branch willing to provide this service. After multiple rejections, one agreed to print watermarks for $10 per page.
In addition to that hassle, each trip to the visa application center cost her an additional $50.
“I think we dropped about $600 to $700, if not more … getting a visa to go to Italy for six whole days,” she said.
To avoid these problems, Alex now prioritizes visiting visa-free destinations. “It makes a huge difference if you’re going to do a one-week holiday and you got to fork out $1,000 in visa fees,” she said.
‘It’s an unequal system’
Chinese passport holder Lily — name changed as she requested anonymity due to her employer’s strict policies on public statements — recounted arrogant visa officers who have asked “insulting questions,” such as whether she plans to overstay her visa period.
She was asked to provide criminal records, or lack thereof, in her applications, which took additional time and money spent on taxis to obtain.
Alex said there is a level of humiliation in being subject to so many travel restrictions. People with weaker passports can be educated, upstanding members of their societies, but they must still go through interviews and jump through other hoops to travel, whereas people without these…