Originally from South Africa, Alex lives in Singapore and frequently travels abroad for work and tourism. But her passport has become such a major barrier to free and easy travel that she is “happy” to exchange it for another passport.
“If someone offered me or my children another passport, I would grab it with both hands,” Alex said. He asked that only his first name be used for privacy reasons.
The South African passport is ranked 51st in the Henley Passport Index, placing it firmly in the middle of global lists based on the number of destinations the holder can visit without a travel visa.
Alex says people with powerful passports, including his friends, typically don’t understand the cost, time and frustration of traveling with a passport that isn’t high on the list.
“Why do I have to upload every page of my 10-year-old passport to go on a trip to Australia? It’s crazy to have to go through this if you’re traveling for business.”
A recent trip to Europe with her partner required visas for the Schengen area as well as the UK, which took six weeks. “I had to be very careful about my schedule,” she said.
She was unable to travel throughout the process as she had to submit her passport for the visa application. “For someone like me who travels regularly for work, that’s a problem.”
For those who don’t have the highest-ranking passports, preparing a mountain of documents can be frustrating.
Alex said that his previous visa application to Europe required him to have a bank stamp on his financial statements. She said she only learned about the details after visiting the visa center. Unfortunately, we were unable to find any bank branches that offer this service. After repeated rejections, one company agreed to print the watermark for $10 per page.
On top of that hassle, there was an additional $50 fee each time I went to the visa application center.
“I think it cost me $600 to $700 or more to get a visa to go to Italy for six full days,” she said.
To avoid these issues, Alex now prioritizes visiting destinations without a visa. “If you’re going to take a week off and have to pay $1,000 in visa fees, that makes a big difference,” she says.
“It’s an unequal system.”
Lily, a Chinese passport holder whose name has been changed because she requested anonymity due to her employer’s strict policy on public statements, described arrogant visa officers who asked her “derogatory questions,” including whether she planned to overstay her visa.
She was required to provide a criminal history, or lack thereof, on her application, costing her additional time and money.
Alex said it was a kind of humiliation to be subject to so many travel restrictions. People with weak passports may be well-educated and upstanding members of society, but they must go through interviews and jump through other hurdles to travel, she said, while people without these qualifications can easily enter the country with visa-free agreements between governments.
Lily said she faced travel-related challenges while studying abroad, which prevented her from applying for jobs that required frequent international travel. “It’s not just humiliating, it’s also the way they are treated at the border when they get the visa in the first place,” she added.
“If I didn’t have this passport, I think if I had a British passport, everything might be easier,” she said.
As for whether people understand how difficult it is to travel for someone with a weak passport, she said it’s like making a man understand “how difficult it is to give birth.”
Her travel experience has led her to consider getting a Hong Kong passport, which requires, among other conditions, to have lived and worked in Hong Kong for seven years.
Lily echoed Alex’s sentiments, saying that although she loves her country, “I still want to change my passport.”
Requires more money, time and effort
Singapore-based entrepreneur Pantha Roy said traveling as an Indian citizen costs extra money, time and effort, especially when researching the “nitty-gritty” of each country’s visa requirements.
He explained how he had to plan ahead when backpacking in South America, adding that some countries required him to disclose his exact entry point and mode of transportation.
Roy (fourth from left) and his friends hiking on Crete, Greece in 2024.
Source: Pantha Roy
Having to look into these requirements in detail takes a little bit of the fun out of traveling, he said. “I can’t be that spontaneous.”
While traveling in Europe, Roy recalled that while his friends were able to travel easily and book cheap flights departing within a week, he was unable to do so.
Even for short-term trips, “you should start planning about three months in advance” to give yourself enough time to book and approve your visa before your trip.
“I don’t go to Europe because it’s a hassle, I just go somewhere else,” he said.
Unlike Alex and Lily, Roy said he has no intention of replacing his passport, although he finds it a hassle. “I love having an Indian passport…I have no intention of giving it up,” he said.
