I was at a birthday party up in Harlem last night (which, by the way, has gentrified significantly in the past ten years) and was catching up with a friend of mine that recently married a British girl. He’s American and I was thinking about how he would now be eligible for a British passport. But, when I pointed this out to him he seemed rather surprised by the idea and then confessed that he’d never even thought about it or looked into it. I guess I just think differently than most people…
Anyway, on the subway ride home, that conversation led me to start thinking about what would be the absolute best passport to have.
A British passport, such as my friend will become eligible for, is nice since they are part of the European Union and one can therefore have access to not just Britain, but the entire EU. I have one myself… And, in fact, that is mine pictured above.
However, if you travel as I do, or Luxury Rogue does, or Eleonora Ames does, or Ben Walker does, etc. the only thing worse than having a British passport is an American passport.
Americans and Britons are always compelled to pay the highest fees for visas and we have to deal with the most shit from suspicious border control officers (how great would it be to have a diplomatic passport?) in countries like Sudan or Syria or Belarus…
My American passport undergoing heavy scrutiny in Somalia:
Now, don’t get me wrong. I have a dear Pakistani friend and she is not even able to visit the United States and has to deal with a monumental amount of bureaucratic hassle to travel practically anywhere. So, I know that I could have it worse from a bureaucratic perspective.
But, there are other considerations of importance to me in determining the best passport than just avoiding bureaucracy… When challenged, my goal is to pull out a passport that will not lead to me being in front of a video camera in an orange jumpsuit with my head being involuntarily separated from my body:
Does one’s passport really make that much of a difference? Yes, it does. To give just one example: During the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, hostages that were holders of American and British passports were killed on the spot, while others were allowed to live:
“They wanted anyone with British or American passports”
At some point in the future, I will acquire an Italian passport. Now, that’s a pretty good one to have because nobody hates the Italians and if one does get abducted, the Italian government pays ransoms to get its citizens out of such situations. Also, Italy is an EU member. So, like Britain, with an Italian passport, one has access to the entire European Union.
But is there something even better than an Italian passport?
People suggest New Zealand passports to me often, but there is a problem there. Israel’s Mossad is quite aware of New Zealand’s reputation and over the years has stolen and forged a number of New Zealand passports. Thus, governments in places such as Iran or even the United Arab Emirates are immediately suspicious of New Zealand passports. That’s not a good thing.
So, what else?
How about a passport from Turkey? Brazil? Malta? Macedonia? Grenada? Or even Greenland when they gain control of their immigration procedures?
Those would all be great passports to have in certain circumstances. But, when it comes down to it, I want a country that I know is willing to put some cash on the line for me.
For the record, I do understand the reasoning behind the official policy of the British and American governments in their refusal to pay ransoms. I even agree with the policy on a rational level. However, when you are the one with the knife against your throat in front of a video camera, that perspective can look a lot different.
This brings me back to the Italian passport. Yes, Italy is a member of NATO. And from the orange jumpsuit perspective, that is not an ideal situation. But, let’s delve into that a little more…
Examine the Iraq Hostage Table below… The number on the left is the number of citizens from that particular country that were killed after being taken hostage. The number in the middle is the number of citizens that were freed after being abducted. And the number on the right is the number whose fate is unknown:
| Iraq Hostage Table | ||
|---|---|---|
Key: (killed-freed-unknown)
|
You’ll notice the Americans have the worst stats (if you include the unknowns, which, unfortunately, we can safely say have not survived).
Italy’s record is not unblemished, but I believe the apparently glowing numbers for a country such as Iran are misleading. If one is picked up by Shiite militants, then the Iranian passport is a definite asset. However, if one is picked up by Sunni militants, the Iranian passport would almost certainly be an automatic death sentence. China, which at first glance appears to have excellent numbers as well, also is not as clear cut a situation as it might initially seem. There are parts of Africa, for example, in which the Chinese have been heavily involved where a Chinese passport would likely be fatal. Same deal with a Turkish passport… You’d better hope you do not get picked up by any Kurds.
So, again, I keep coming back to the Italian passport. Yes, there are times when if one knew everything about a situation, it might make sense to pull out, say a Maltese passport. However, reality is rarely so collaborative and when one is confronted by gun-wielding men with their faces concealed, it is often necessary to make a quick decision with little information.
In that situation, I would pull out the Italian passport because no matter who kidnapped me, I would at least have a chance based on the fact that a ransom will be paid for me. It makes me worth something. As an American, I’m worth something too, but not for the right reasons.
An American is worth something for propaganda purposes. So, one would likely either spend years as a hostage (such as Bowe Bergdahl) or be executed in a dramatic and unpleasant fashion such as the unfortunate Nick Berg (pictured above).
If I were to pull out a passport from Macedonia, for example, that might not be offensive to anyone, but it also isn’t really worth much from a political or financial perspective either. So, one might just be gunned down on the spot for the sake of the attackers killing a Westerner, while the more valuable Italians would be kept alive to be bargained away.
Another benefit of the Italian passport? According to the latest Henley Visa Restrictions Index, Italy ranks in the third slot behind only Denmark, Finland and Sweden for the number of countries that an Italian citizen can visit without obtaining a visa before arrival. And even then, top-ranked Denmark, Sweden and Finland have only two more countries than Italy that citizens can access without obtaining a visa before arrival.
Unfortunately, there are some instances in which you’re going to die no matter which passport you are carrying merely based on the color of your skin or the clothing you are wearing. As that circumstance is beyond our control, I have focused on circumstances that are in our control and, thus, my argument for the Italian passport being the ideal passport:
The only time I can think to pull out the American passport is when one is actually entering the United States. Otherwise it is a liability.
For avoiding the most bureaucracy, I would suggest the American and British passport combination.
And from a purely financial perspective, one would want a passport from the U.A.E. or Qatar given the largesse they shower on their citizens.
But for the most versatility and survivability, I would put my money (and my life) on an Italian passport.
The Velvet Rocket 
Interesting thoughts…and your table appeals to my scientific side. However, based on the data, I would prefer a Canadian passport. Afterall, there were no Canadian passport holders that were reported to be killed or their status unknown. The Ukraine would be another top choice based on data presented alone. However, I suggest to go one step further and attempt to normalize the data based on degree of volatility that passport holders for the represented countries visited. Perhaps safety is merely a function of destination? Apologies for my in ability to proof read this comment…I’m sure it’s riddled with run-ons and spelling errors…
I have always been treated very well entering Malaysia with an American passport. I get the V.I.P. treatment. Have had the best of treatment in Japan, too. But there are so many places I would prefer not to be on a American passport. It’s a tough call; your reasoning makes sense. I once had to turn down a job because not because of my passport, but because I wanted to carry a few guns/ammo. It was in a place called East Timor and the gig was war correspondent working with a French photo journalist recently escaped from Rangoon. My intel said the Indons had killed 17 western journalists the year before and I was not going to be captured. Risk calculation. If you travel in harm’s way tis best to minimize the risk, or, do a little harm yourself!
David, I only very recently obtained my British passport and so the majority of my travel has been on an American passport. And, interestingly, my experiences have matched yours… By that, I mean that I too have experienced the VIP treatment in the majority of cases, and in a lot of countries where I would not have expected it, such as Pakistan or Venezuela.
Your East Timor decision presents a perfect example on the downsides of carrying the American passport… Although the majority of people may treat you well with an American passport, it only takes one person that has a problem with Americans to ruin your day. And if they have a gun, and you do not, that person can ruin a lot more than just your day. You’re not going to be able to disguise the fact that you’re a Westerner, but if I were challenged in East Timor, I’d much rather produce an Italian passport than an American one.
Are you eligible for a Malaysian passport? I would think that would be a pretty good one to have as well…
NO, malaysia is one of the countries that do not accept dual citizenship, if you once get a malaysian passport u have to drop down ( Give up ) on your previous passports (nationalities).
Thank you for your comment, Amanda. The Canadian passport is desirable at times, but I return to the fact that Canada does not pay ransoms for its citizens. So, while Canada does fall under the “no one hates us” category, if you do end up getting abducted just for being a Westerner, you’re no better off than an American or Briton.
Ukraine is viable in some locales – Africa comes to mind – but Ukraine is lumped in with Russia in the minds of many individuals. And if you consider the history that Russia has with places such as Chechnya or Afghanistan, you can see why that would potentially be a problem in some parts of the world.
You said it quite well with your observation about the location being a determinant of one’s safety. In some instances, you can be fairly certain whom you are being confronted by and it can definitely make sense to produce a passport from Grenada or Namibia when you are clued in to what is going on. If, however, I was in doubt, I would produce the Italian passport for the reasons I outlined.
“Canada does not pay ransom for its citizens”. So eventually groups will figure this out and stop abducting them, right?
No, as a Westerner, Canadians still have propaganda value. It is just that the value is derived from their death or indefinite detention – neither of which are desirable from a personal standpoint…
My Portuguese passport is always very well received since Cristiano Ronaldo is the best ambassador you can imagine. Just got into DRCongo last summer from South Sudan on a non-existing issuing visa on arrival border and got away with it somehow… with a 3 months travel permit. Back in 2004 I was getting my Iranian visa (3 working days issuing + no questions + no hassle + no invitation letter or travel agency), and when I got into the embassy in Almaty – Kazakhstan, an American guy was coming out a bit sad (pist off actually) coz when he got into the Iranian embassy everyone was ver polite and friendly until he pulled out his passport and they said: “ahh amérikan … no visa go!” hehe that sucked…really Great article man! greetings from Morocco by the way – anytime around mi case es su casa!
Portugal would be another good passport to have – No one hates the Portuguese. Does Portugal pay ransoms for its citizens? The certainty that Italy does is what made me choose Italy over many other countries that no one has a problem with.
Thank you for the greeting from Morocco. Haha, and be careful with those invitations. I’m more than liable to take you up on them…
Agreed! Portugal has to be one of my favorite places! If I had their passport, I may still never leave!
I guess from your perspective on safety it would be wiser going with an Italian passport. But trust me you don’t want to be caught with a Nigerian passport because am definitely sure you would worth nothing to them and they might just not want to waste their time. At least your US passport allows you visit a lot of nice places! take care
The situation you mentioned with the Nigerian passport is exactly why I would prefer to have the passport from Italy rather than just simply a country that no one hates, such as Nigeria or Belize or Lesotho. Italy is a country that also goes into the “no one hates us” category, but (and this is important) if that is not sufficient to keep you alive, you still have the backup insurance that the Italian government will pay a ransom for you. With the Nigerian passport (or the equivalent) you run the risk, as you stated, of being seen as having little political or financial value and ending up with a bullet inside you because someone couldn’t be bothered to invest the energy and time into dealing with you.
You are certainly right about the bureaucratic hassles that can be sidestepped in places like the U.S. and the U.K. with an American or British passport. Haha, but trust me, we get those hassles given back to us when visiting countries like Brazil. I know it isn’t anywhere near as bad as what you must have to go through, but we definitely get a taste of it.
Hello Justin:
Actually a Briton doesn’t need any visa to come to Brazil. And Americans only require a visa because, a visa is also needed for Brazilians that visit the US.
Thank you for your blog, really loved it!
I imagine it’s almost impossible to get without being born there… but what about a Swiss passport?
Nevermind. I imagine national service would be mandatory…
What a depressing article. You seem to be overlooking the power that having a US passport contains, though if you’re captured by terrorists most passports are useless. If arrested it signals the authorities to treat you well, lets they ire the US. Its best not to have multiple passports though. If you carry multiple passports they can just pass your troubles to the 2nd country, who pass you back, and you’re stuck in a hot potato to see who decides to help. Then there is the ease of travel. According to the 2006 Henley visa restriction index, the US is tied with Denmark and Finland at 130 countries, that allow US passports into their countries without visas, or with arrival visas.
Hello James –
Thank you for weighing in…
Have you ever benefited from the “power” that an American passport has? I’m just curious, because I have not (relative to other Western passports). Instead, it is a constant source of tension and problems (the likelihood of me being accused of being a spy seems to be exponentially higher when I am using my American passport). Many countries don’t seem concerned at all about raising the ire of the United States. They assume that the United States is too large and bureaucratic to do anything unless someone is a VIP.
Now, will the Americans send in a special forces team to kick doors down and rescue you in a high-profile situation? Yes, and more so than any other country, which is one definite plus to having an American passport. I give the Americans a lot of credit for that. However, I’d prefer things not get to that point in the first place and I try to avoid such scenarios from unfolding. And (defending my designation of the Italian passport as the best option) Italy is a NATO member and a close American ally. I don’t believe the Americans would not act to rescue an Italian citizen if they learned of their location.
I have not experienced getting shuffled back and forth between two countries if you own a passport for both. I can certainly see something like that happening but, in reference to the above, is it really any different to get ignored by two countries rather than just one? Again referencing the above, in a high-profile situation, I am confident that both would move to provide assistance.
Lastly, things have changed a lot since 2006. One will be able to get into far more countries with an Italian (or any European passport) than with an American passport. And even for those countries where Americans are permitted in with a visa, Americans always pay the highest rates for a visa. For example: My British friends got their visas in Belarus for $30 each. Mine (using my American passport) was $180! The differences are not always that extreme, but as an American, you’ll always be screwed the worst on visa costs. So, even from a strictly financial perspective, one is better off using the Italian passport.
Taking all of the above into account, I’ll stick with my choice of the Italian passport being the best choice for a second passport (Or even the primary passport if you can only pick one). And I maintain that position for entirely pragmatic reasons rather than any sort of patriotic Italian feelings.
With the amount of travel you’ve done, I have to think that your opinion on this matter must be in the first slot of the short list. Not many have traveled as much as you have. I’m waiting for your book. My wife has a girl friend whose dad did two extensive obysseys, one in Africa and the Middle East and one in America. He traveled on foot and by local conveyance, lived with the locals. One of his coffee table books is Glimpses, the second More Glimpses. The girl’s dad is something of a Malaysian Indiana Jones, and a fascinating chat.
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My friend is from Ukraine but has been living in Britain for many years now and is desperate for next August when he will be eligible for a British Passport. Although the statistics for Ukraine above seem good, he finds himself having a lot more problems than the rest of us. For example going to France we were all held up for hours while they sorted out his passport where the rest of us as EU citizens were fine, and as Ukraine’s relationship with Russia grows, this will only get worse. It is also taking him months to get through his new UK visa to last until he can get his citizenship and he may have to cancel a trip to Poland if his UK visa does not arrive as he won’t be allowed back in afterwards.
Thank you for your comment, Harry.
A passport from Ukraine is one of those where it would be fantastic to have in some situations and a terrible headache in others (such as your friend’s situation). On balance though, I would have to say that the negatives seem to outweigh the positives.
Does Ukraine pay ransoms? I don’t know. I do know that in the sorts of places where ransom is a consideration that the parties involved do not distinguish much between someone from Russia and someone from Ukraine. And the Russians are not very popular in such places…
Best,
Justin
I wish I had the sort of free time that Justin Ames apparently has.
Ha, well, I suppose the grass is always greener… As I always have several projects going on at once, I never feel like I have enough free time.
I am not sure that only Italy pays ransoms for their citizens there is some cases of Sweden paying ransoms for it`s citizens. But in despite I am not sure If Italy would pay uncontable amounts of ransoms If were kidnaped for exemple a “convoy” of italians turists,It would coast alot for the public bank, and If they pay in some cases it`s for one or two embassadors, because although the italian people had migrated to every where the are not big travellers as australians,germans and scandinavians.My daugther for exemple has 4 passports ( some day I could post her passports in some blog ) that are: Portuguese,French and Swedish by my wife`s side(my wife has three) and one by own side Brazilian. So,If some day in some trip she would be kidnaped( May God protect her) some os those countries could suport her for sure. So, is not Italy the only that couls safe it`s citizens.
cya take care all of you guys…
greetings from Sweden
The best passport is the Hong Kong SAR passport. Holders can even visit Russia visa free. ( There is no other passport can do it.) No terrorist group will pick Hong Kong SAR passport holders as hostages. Remember Hong Kong is not a country, you do not have to renounce your original citizenship to get a Hong Kong passport. Any person can find a job in Hong Kong and live and work for seven years in Hong Kong and apply for a Hong Kong Passport.
First, it’s not remotely true that Hong Kong passport holders are the only passport holders who can visit Russia visa-free: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Russia#Visa-free_Entry. Second, the reason you don’t have to renounce your original citizenship to get a Hong Kong passport is not because “Hong Kong is not a country” – it’s because of a specific interpretation of Chinese nationality law: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationality_Law_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China#Hong_Kong. Finally, it’s not enough to live and work for seven years in Hong Kong to get a passport – you would become a permanent resident, but that’s not enough to become a Chinese citizen, which is a necessary condition to obtain a HK passport: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Special_Administrative_Region_passport#Eligibility_and_application.
You certainly have “first world” problems. How can you say you have not benefitted from the “power” of the American Passport when you are able to go to practically every country on this planet without having to get a visa. I have a lot of friends that would love to have the “powerless” American passport that you don’t seem to appreciate. Also, way to trivialize someone who’s head is about to be lopped off inch by gruesome inch. Have some respect and take that picture down. How entitled are you?
Ahh, the troll is strong in this one…
You, JM, seem to have completely missed the spirit of this post as well as the narrow focus of it.
Where did I say that I had not benefited from my having been born in a Western country? This is about the best passport to have, not about whether it is best to be born in America or not.
Oh, and ask an American that has traveled to Brazil about the power of their passport versus one from another Western country…
Troll? lol
I do have an American Passport and I have been to Brazil. You assume a whole lot.
For someone who seems to have done a lot of travelling, you have learned nothing. Talk about a narrow focus.
People have sacrificed much so you can go trolling around the planet with a heightened sense of entitlement.
Next time you’re in a third world country, look around you and ask anyone if they want to switch places and passports with you. Then you’ll know the true power of your American passport.
Enjoy the freedom that I’ve earned for you.
Don’t you just love the (arrogant) military mind….a lot of those 3rd world countries are the way they are because they’ve been raped by US interests or imperial interests…
Actually, I had forgotten about Nick Berg until I read this article, I think it helps keep his memory alive and should not be taken down!
You seem to have completely missed the point that this is a post about passports and not about whether it is better to be born in Haiti or America. All things being equal, most people, myself included, would naturally prefer to be born in the Western world rather than a country like Haiti.
However, again, the focus of this post is not on the political, but rather on what is the most versatile and useful passport to have in the most amount of scenarios. That condition automatically selects for a Western passport. So, your point about asking someone in the developing world if they’d care to switch places is irrelevant. Of course, someone in a developing country would trade places for an American passport. They would also trade places for an Australian passport or a Canadian passport or a Danish passport. A more apt comparison would be to ask someone in Norway or Japan if they wanted to switch places for one of my passports.
Now, if you had really been to Brazil, you undoubtedly would have noticed that those without American passports, breezed right in (and paid much less for doing so). Therefore, an American passport is obviously not the BEST passport to have in that situation (I’ll remind you again that the narrow focus of this post is in regard to what is the best passport to possess and not whether it is better to be born in America or Brazil).
Or, how about the fact that the only way I got into Syria after matters kicked off there was by not using my American passport? Again, an American passport was a liability…
And lastly, you champion of freedom, why do you believe that someone born in America should not be permitted to speculate that another passport might be more advantageous in certain circumstances?
Go ahead and tell those you know that have been under the gun that they’ve done a shitty job or are doing a shitty job. I’d love to be there to see this.
I’m no hero, bro. I served among the company of hero’s. You have no idea what you are talking about and clearly have no respect to those that have sacrificed much more than you’ll ever do yourself.
The fact that you are assuming I sat behind the desk therefore not worth the same as the field operators, show your complete ignorance on the subject.
I could say more but I’ve wasted your time as well as mine enough and clearly we don’t see eye to eye on this. I appreciate the well thought out response. We agree to disagree.
Go be awesome! Peace to you.
How convenient. Just when I thought we were all good. Unbelievable. lol.
Oh and protip, if discussing passports, it is 99.9 % all political. That’s the reason we have them, because borders were determined and made via political motivations and countries allow “visitors” in, not because of the kindness of their hearts but mainly because of the political reciprocity it earns. How can you not apply the political aspect of a passport when determining what’s the best to have?
I mean, geez, look at the picture you posted, the one that compelled me to respond initially, that’s an extreme political statement. I still think, btw, that it’s in poor taste that that pic is still up. But, it’s a free country. You’re right about that.
Anyway, I truly mean this, be safe in your travels and have a great life. I won’t bug you anymore. I wouldn’t trade my American Passport for anything.
I really wonder if you actually read the post or if you just looked at the pretty pictures and ran from there. When I state that this was not a political post, most people understand that to mean that one is not promoting one political position over another. In other words, it is apolitical. This is exactly why I am not arguing that one country is better than another, but simply that IN CERTAIN SCENARIOS, SOME PASSPORTS ARE PREFERRABLE OVER OTHERS.
You are massively oversimplifying the reasons for the existence of “visitors” and passports (did you consider the economic angle?), but your argument about political reciprocity is exactly why I am arguing that, if given a choice, running around with an American passport is not always ideal in certain circumstances. I’m having a difficult time understanding why that is a troubling concept for you. You may be proud of your American passport, but if you had an Italian passport and an American passport in your pocket, would you really pull out the American passport if you were confronted by a group of Islamic militants? If you would insist on pulling out the American passport, I belive that crosses the line from pride into stupidity.
Please enlighten us to what is political about the picture of the barbaric reality of Nick Berg’s demise? The murder itself was political, but the photograph is now, I believe, an important reminder of the predators that one may encounter in life and what can be at stake in those encounters.
Taste is subjective. Since you seem to like to tell other people what to do and I believe that people should be, more or less, left alone, I will assume that you and I have different tastes. If I ever find myself with the knife at my throat, I hope someone makes the most out of the video and images that come from it. But maybe that’s just me…
I don’t know Justin and I don’t know you JM but you sound like a damned
fool with these comments of yours. What makes you such an expert on any of this? What are you going to do with your American passport if you meet the wrong people? It ain’t going to help you then. It is going to make you a target to be eliminated. Why don’t you think about that.
I served more than twenty years in the United States Marine Corps. So don’t
try to wrap yourself in the flag with me. You can’t just say that “America
is the best” as an argument and leave it at that as if that is the end of any intelligent discussion. America is not perfect. But this article isn’t even about that. It is about what is the best passport and I don’t think the best passport is always an American passport for all of the reasons already discussed here.
i think Justin made good points and I would not trade my American passport either but I wish I had an Italian one to go along with my American one. I’m pretty sure that is the point Justin is making.
Wow, god forbid someone has a dissenting view around here. Not only do you get called a troll but you get the third degree.
Specifically the one where practically belittled the efforts of the men and women serving from “behind the desk”. Maybe that wasn’t your intent, but you lost me once those parts got out. You have a blog that is open for public viewing, surely, you don’t expect every opinion to mirror your own? or do you? You opened up your discussion with me by calling me a troll. How do you expect me to react?
And John R, thank you for your service. I respect your opinions. We may have differing ones but I see where you are coming from. I’m no expert, never claimed to be one. I’m not a flag waving, fox news sheep patriot. I’m as blue as the Pacific Ocean. Live and let live.
I had an issue with the hostage picture, my bad. Apologies to Justin if I disturbed the peace around here. Carry on.
You have exhibited all of the traits of a troll – right down to the fake email address.
I honestly don’t know what you are worked up about at this point as all you have offered are empty provocations and not coherent points. If you care to muster the courage to leave a legitimate email address and have anything new to say, I am happy to respond.
Otherwise, I’m moving on.
oh wow, everyone is picking on me. Why? I’ve participated on plenty of discussions online before but never have I experienced what you just did.
Might as well just delete all my responses. Clearly a healthy discussion is not allowed here. I never once tried to steer the conversation about the best country or where people are born. You’re the one that keeps bringing that up.
I’m really out of here now. I promise you’ll never hear from me again. So much for an honest to goodness discourse.
Have a great day!
You come one here disagreeing with everyone in a provocative manner and now you are whining because someone else disagrees with you? It’s called
debating, son, and you have to be able to take it as well as you can dish it
out.
That picture you are so sensitive about reflects who are enemies are. Where
have you been? It was all over the news when it happened and it is hardly
controversial. Did you call CNN when they played clips from the video? Did
you call NBC to complain? Or ABC? Hell, they all played segments of that
video because it was newsworthy and relevant. Why don’t you see what other
way more graphic and extreme pictures are out there?
Also if a picture is what you are upset about, how come you are making such a fuss about politics and everything else? Why don’t you just talk straight? Like they say to someone that don’t like what they see on TV, why don’t you just change the channel instead of complaining about it and telling everyone else what they should think, feel and do.
Who the hell are you to tell me what I should be able to see or not? I’m sick and tired of people like you.
Justin this clown JM never served in the military. Or if he did, he is what we called a REMF in Vietnam. A Rear Echelon Mother Fucker! But I don’t think he did. He is just trying to cause trouble. I know he is still reading this and I guarantee you that he won’t share with us which unit her served with or what his MOS was. He’s a fake and that proves it.
Indeed John, in Australia where I was born guys like JM are called “wankers” ;)
How about a Norwegian passport? I don’t know if that is the absolute best passport to have and I don’t know if Norway pay ransoms, but I sure wouldn’t mind having one.
I honestly don’y know if Norway pays ransoms for its citizens or not, Ron. I suppose that not enough Norwegians have been abducted for us to be able to find out (not that I want people to be abducted so that we can discover the answer). So, maybe that in and of itself is a strong argument for a Norwegian passport!
Anyway, Norway certainly has good benefits for its citizens, but for the weather alone, I would stick with the Italian passport.
To the velvet rocket moderator: Hey I work in IT out here in California and this JM guy is a professional troll. I know the type because it is my job to bloc them – he is the kind that has a boring, pathetic life and so has to start drama so that he feels some sense of purpose and meaning in an otherwise meaningless existence. You can’t reason with them or have a friendly discussion with them. Unleash the mighty pimp hand of the moderator and bitch slap this troll out of here! He’s messing up the chi of this thread and wasting everyone else’s time that wants to talk about passports.
With that out of the way, what do you think about camouflage passports? I can see some pros and cons. They’re a lot easier to get than a real passport and I don’t have to pay taxes in other country with a camouflage passport!
Meh. I bounced a couple of comments that JM attempted to leave today in which he was just making personal attacks against other commenters, but I’m not sure he is as bad as what you described… If he ever leaves a real email address, I’ll send him a message.
Anyway, the arguments for camouflage passports are more or less the same arguments I make here for the real passports… Given the difficulties in obtaining additional (real) passports, a case can certainly be made for the camouflage passports. Although at 500 euros a pop for the camouflage passport, I was never tempted enough to pull the trigger on one – even when I just had one passport.
Some of the camouflage passports – such as those for the USSR – would not, I believe, fool very many people as most individuals are aware that the Soviet Union does not exist any longer. However, a lower profile camouflage passport – such as from Eastern Samoa or New Hebrides – would probably pass a cursory inspection.
However, the weaknesses are certainly there. For example, if one looks like a Westerner and runs into the type of trouble outlined in the post above, they’ll probably still be killed or abducted for looking like a Westerner. If you are abducted, you’re going to be in trouble when your kidnappers Google your information to try and figure out how much you are worth. I get accused of being a spy often enough for simply having a camera and a Western passport. So, if Johnny Jihad discovers a fake passport, I would anticipate an unpleasant execution that would probably have been preceded by a torture-enhanced interrogation of the “Western spy”. And, of course, a non-existent government will not be paying any ransoms or sending any special forces teams to bail you out.
But, as I mentioned previously, if you are traveling on something like an American or Israeli passport and encounter our hypothetical scenario, unpleasant things will almost certainly happen to you anyway. So, I really see nothing to lose by trying the Eastern Samoan passport in a Mumbai attack situation or the equivalent. I would try it.
And I know it has nothing to do with camouflage passports, but this offer for a diplomatic appointment and passport has always intrigued me:
http://www.camouflagepassports.net/diplomaticpassport.html
Anyone curious enough to drop in excess of 100,000 euros to explore this one?
To JM, the concept was that some passports are better than others in some situations, such as being a prisoner of jihadis. An American passport is fine in most situations but I would swap mine for some others in a flash in some situations. Back in the day, down in Hong Kong, every Chinese cutie wanted a British passport, a real Rolex, and a British boyfriend. Or an Aussie. There’s a time to wave the flag, and a time to remember that discretion is the better part of valor. Staying alive means knowing the difference.
Thank you, David, for the succinct paragraph that conveys what I fumbled through an inordinate amount of sentences attempting to explain…
Irish Passport ? I have Both a UK and a Irish passports so i do I was born in Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom folks the UK isnt just “England” But England,Scotland,Wales, Northern Ireland= U.K…anyways Ireland otherwise know as the Republic of Ireland extends citizenship to people born on the geographical island of ireland (including Northern Ireland even though we are part of the UK) so we can claim a Irish passport as well as a UK one (or instead of a UK one as lets face it both countries are part of the EU…so a Irish passport is one im glad i have ….
Thank you for your comment, Paul. I didn’t know that rule with being born in Northern Ireland, but off the top of my head, I can’t think of anywhere else where you get the two passports by being born in one place deal. That’s pretty nice and, yes, the Irish passport is certainly a good one to have from the perspective of EU inclusion and no one hating the Irish.
NO ONE HATING THE IRISH??!! My late Mother once told me I could bring home any kind of girl I wanted. She paused. Then said, except Irish or Japs. She was London born, Perth raised. She added that Northern Irish was ok, why almost Scots. She said the Irish would argue about what day of the week it was and drank too much. As for the Japs, she said she’d never forgive them for what they did to our people. A classmate survived a massacre of prisoners in New Guinea. He was an officer and led a native platoon. Captured. A Jap lieutenant had them dig their own graves, then whacked off their heads one by one. Because he was white the Aussie was done last. The sword was dulled and a sloppy stroke saved him. He crawled out after dark and found a village. Months later he got home after a long Odyssey and told his tale. Later in life almost married a Japanese TV star. I was dreading that introduction. My parents would not own any kind of Jap products. My Dad told me he’d had a belly full of Japs; they could stay on their side of the Pacific from now on and he’d stay on his side. They executed a girl friend of his in the P.Is. She was running supplies to a chap named Marcos. Bayonet in the belly, body left in the street for three days under guards. Family couldn’t claim until three days later. Humid, hot, wet, three days body don’t do well. He learned from a buddy in the resistance who got a letter out via one of our subs. Times sure have changed.
Ha, well, I’m taking a contemporary stance on the Irish… I had a great-aunt that absolutely hated the Irish. I’m not really sure where her dislike of the Irish came from, but she was a staunch Englishwoman (which probably had something to do with it). So, it was pretty funny when a little genealogical research on the part of my mother revealed that we had a large number of Irish ancestors. My aunt didn’t care for that…
That’s a hell of a story about your Aussie and about your father’s friend…
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I have two passports, US and Polish, these days I seem to use the Polish one a lot more often without any hassles, definitely less problematic in most countries.
I’d like to point out the main disadvantage of the US citizenship, which has not been mentioned at all in the commments, i.e. the IRS! With FBAR and FATCA coming up strong, with US passports we “can run, but can’t hide”! US passport is loosing its appeal on financial grounds, no matter how many countires we can go into visa-free…
I have visited Italy countless times, speak pretty good Italian and love the country, so having an Italian passport holds a great appeal in general, and for the “nobody hates Italians” reasons in particular. The question is, how to get one?
You make a great point, ChrisB. The headaches caused by the IRS are so complicated that I didn’t even try to explain that factor above. But, yes, that is a significant disadvantage and is becoming more so.
Getting the Italian passport isn’t easy. I took the easy route – I just married in.
I am Swiss-Canadian and I’m happy to say that the Swiss and Germans pay ransoms and they happened to also pay double in this instance (http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/04/29/germany-and-switzerland-paid-ransom-for-kidnapped-canadian-diplomats/) to also spring Canadians kidnapped in the same instance. :) double win! As for me, I’m more than happy to have a Swiss and Canadian passport.
Thank you for your comment, Phillip. Yes, Swiss and Canadian passports are certainly a good combination to have (particularly as the Swiss pay ransoms, which I was not aware of).
I have both British and Chinese passports,those allow me to travel both the west and east. It’s quite beneficial for me and I believe it will be greater advantage in the future, since majority nations are required to obtain a visa before going to China.
That’s a nice combination, Will. Each has very different and very distinct advantages.
How are you holding both British and Chinese citizenship when China does not allow dual citizenship (except for holders of Hong Kong and Macau passports)…? If you’re keeping your British citizenship a secret from the PRC government, I wouldn’t say that you have a very ideal scenario, as I personally wouldn’t want to be caught in breach of Chinese laws by the PRC government.
The Henley visa restriction index of 2010 has the british passport ai number 1 with 166 countries
Click to access hvri2010_globalRanking.pdf
It’s now tied for number one, but I believe it’s less valuable than the Finnish or Swedish passports.
I’m a New Zealander. The situtaion you speak of about Stolen Passports did happen, but the number is far fewer than you make out to be, and I know of several NZers who have visited Iran and the Middle East with absolutely no problems at all.
NZ passports also breeze through Europe much like a European Passport.
Thank you for your comment, Robyn… I think you misunderstood me. I am aware that not a large number of New Zealand passports were forged, but what is important are impressions. And in some countries a passport from New Zealand is automatically met with some skepticism as the impression exists that passports from New Zealand have been compromised. Remember, even at official government checkpoints and border crossings, you’re often not dealing with people that are very educated or sophisticated. So, you and I may know that not that many passports from New Zealand are fake, but that doesn’t mean the person you’re facing with the badge or the gun knows that.
I agree that an American passport is a liability. More and more people are ditching it. 9% of Americans considered renouncing.
That said, the UK is not part of Schengen, which makes it a bit less useful. Also, the UK is one country I wouldn’t rule out implementing citizenship-based taxation. Stick with a lesser-known country with less influence in the world.
Okay, so based on all of the above, which two passports would you hold if you had a choice?
Great article, I’ve always wondered if I could get a “better” passport than my Australian passport, I think it’s a liability not an asset anymore. I had to pay $130 to come to Ukraine. Before 9/11 happened and Australia joined Bushes dubious “coalition of the willing” and completely destroyed Iraq which to this day is a mess, I think an Australian passport was probably an asset. Australians were well liked just about everywhere. Now jihadists and certain countries hate us as much as they do Americans and Brits. That has now changed forever. I have Jugoslav ancestry and my father’s side is Bosnian (muslim) and my mothers side Serbian (orthodox), me personally I’m an atheist so I can understand the differing tensions from a religious point of view. Still doesn’t make my Australian passport any better to have. Especially here in Donetsk Ukraine, where it can get me kidnapped my separatists for a ransom. Based on the available evidence the Italian one looks good and everyone forgot they were part of the Axis powers in WW2! ;)
No, unfortunately I was born in Australia, so I’m first generation ozzy. I wish i was born in the former Yugoslavia and then naturalized in Australia ‘cos maybe then I could have gotten a former Yugoslav republic passport!
I hold both Canadian and Hong Kong passports. I wouldn’t trade either of these passports at this time because they both get me visa-free access to a lot of countries, but unlike having two passports from similar Western countries (which will typically provide visa-free access to mostly the same countries, save for a small handful of exceptions), my two passports get me visa-free access to different countries. For example, while my HK passport gets me visa-free access to most of the same Western countries that my Canadian passport does, it also gets me visa-free access to countries that a lot of Western passports can’t have visa-free access to, such as Russia, China, Brazil, etc. At the same time, my Canadian passport makes it easy for me to pop down to the States completely spontaneously without any visa or electronic registration, unlike pretty much any other passport in the world, along with visa-free access to the usual countries that a Western country passport typically gets visa-free access to. So I think these two passports are quite complementary and useful for a world traveller.
I would also have qualified to get a British National (Overseas) passport as a child but my parents didn’t bother with it and looking at the passports that I have now, I don’t think it’s a big loss as I have visa-free access to the countries I would have had with a BNO passport with my Canadian and/or HK passport. And as a BNO holder, I wouldn’t be considered a full British citizen anyway; in the eyes of the UK government in a crisis, I suspect a Commonwealth citizen like a Canadian or Australian would not be treated too differently from a BNO passport holder.
As for the hostage/ransom scenario, I’m not sure whether the HK government (or the Chinese government, for that matter) would pay a ransom for its passport holders, so I can’t speak to that point.
I should have added that in a hostage/ransom scenario, Hong Kong’s relative neutrality would be an asset, particularly if the perpetrator has a vendetta against the West as a whole (i.e. North America, Europe, Australia, NZ, etc.) rather than the US or UK in particular. Its distinction from a People’s Republic of China passport may also have benefits in a scenario where the perpetrator has a problem with China.
That said, this assumes that perpetrators know the difference between HK and China, or between any Western country and America, for that matter. ;)
I have a Singaporean passport. I consider it one of the best passports out there based on a couple of factors:
1. Visa-free access to 170 countries (Henley visa restrictions index 2014), ranking it the 5th in the world, on par with the Swiss passport.
2. Visa-free access to China. This privilege is only extended to holders of Japanese, Bruneian and Singaporean passport holders.
3. Visa-free access to North Korea (yes!) Only Malaysian and Singaporean passport holders can visit North Korea without the obvious bureaucratic hassle that comes with applying for a visa.
4. Singapore is a small, peaceful and neutral state in the Far East, and many people are actually unaware of its existence. I’ve breezed through Australian, EU, American and Brazilian customs, and I’ve never had an issue nor have I ever been held up anywhere. I can pop in and out of China on business as I please without the hassle of reapplying for a visa every time it expires. I went on a trip to West Africa and a couple of border officials spoke about their admiration for a Singapore’s economic clout and Lee Kuan Yew (S’pore’s ex-prime minister) when they saw my little red booklet. It’s always nice to be a citizen of a country that coexists peacefully with its neighbours and stays out of the international arena. The fact that Singapore is known for being multicultural also helps. Unlike a lot of countries in the world, we aren’t known for having an official religion or a majority with any religion. We’ve never been an ethnostate (White Australia policy, anyone?)
The whole city-state is one big free port we don’t have any ‘diplomatic allegiance’ to anyone (neutrality, just like Switzerland). We only have a little over 3 million citizens -our passport isn’t as ubiquitous as certain others, which helps to lower our profile considerably.
To be fair, an EU passport would be pretty good because of the ability to work in any country in the EU, but I don’t see myself job-hopping all the time, so I’d have no use for it. Besides, I’d never want to be associated with the Western world in any form, least of all in the 21st century.
Both Singapore and Malaysia don’t allow dual citizenship. That’s THE deal breaker. And both suck as the only citizenship. No, thanks.
I can’t speak for Malaysia, but Singapore doesn’t ‘suck’. Western society has gone down the drain and is the laughing stock of the world today. I am in no way envious of people from that part of the world. All the Western world is good for now is for the occasional trip, and I’m fine with three-month-long visa-free sojourns to that part of the world and have no qualms with living in my safe, sane, and rational country for the rest of the year. Of course, there’s no need for you to be so reactionary, anyway, because it’s not like you’d be entitled to citizenship from Singapore – the citizenship laws are incredibly strict and passports aren’t distributed like toilet paper, especially not to white men given that we’re an Asian country – so you don’t have to worry about being stuck in some kind of dual citizenship rut in the first place.
Indian passport is the world best! Ever heard of it ?
Even though I will be getting a us passport soon in time even then I say indian passport is great asset to have.
Where can I get a passport…cbradley475atGmail.com
I think that a Malaysian passport would be one of the most valuable passports in the world.
1) Malaysia is a Muslim country and you would be respected in the middle east
2) Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has played golf with Obama and a Malaysian passport holder would be aided by maybe the US or another big power
3) Malaysia falls into the safe category as no one is enemies with Malaysia
4) Malaysia has 167 countries that are visa free
5) Malaysian citizens are also British commonwealth citizens and we can claim a British passport if we lose the Malaysian passport 6) Malaysia has many allies around the world and all the powerful countries are Malaysian allies
I think that a Malaysian passport would be one of the most valuable passports in the world.
1) Malaysia is a Muslim country and you would be respected in the middle east
2) Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has played golf with Obama and a Malaysian passport holder would be aided by maybe the US or another big power
3) Malaysia falls into the safe category as no one is enemies with Malaysia
4) Malaysia has 167 countries that are visa free
5) Malaysian citizens are also British commonwealth citizens and we can claim a British passport if we lose the Malaysian passport 6) Malaysia has many allies around the world and all the powerful countries are Malaysian allies
7) Malaysia is hardly heard of from the world news
I haven’t looked into it, but if Malaysia really has 167 countries that do not require a visa, then, yes, that is a pretty solid passport to have… But, do they pay ransoms if one actually is taken hostage? With the Italians or the French or Germans, you know that they will pay a ransom for you. The Americans won’t pay a ransom and your odds of getting beheaded are much higher, but there is some solace that can be taken in the knowledge that the Americans will at least put in a serious effort to kill those responsible for your abduction/death.
Malaysia doesn’t allow dual citizenship. Game over.
guys i think swedish paasport is the best
swedish passport has 174 countries without visa and it is one of the most powerful and respected 5 passports of the world so my Swedish passport is the best to me.
What about an Australian passport? i noticed that in the table you had that the 2 taken hostage where released. (I am Australian)
Hi Caity,
I’m afraid an Australian gets lumped in with the British in the minds of the head hackers (which, obviously, is not desirable). What is Australia’s policy on dealing with hostages? Do they negotiate? Pay ransoms?
To be honest I’m not sure what the policy is, But I haven’t really heard of the government paying hostage though.
An Australian passport is a major liability, we used to be well liked before 9/11 when John Howard went “all the way with Bush”, proclaiming to be “America’s sheriff” in our region. Now I would never even admit I am Australian when I travel (luckily I have Jugoslav ancestry, can speak the language fluently, read cyrillic, so I can get away with it, although my stupid Aussie accent is a dead giveaway).
Also with the hostages, our government, like the Brits and Americans, does not pay ransoms at all, so you’re f****d if you get taken, unlike if you are Italian and they pay the ransom and you get set free!
If any ransoms are paid here, they are raised by the families who use professional mediators to negotiate a release with private money the families raised. The Aussie Government is plagued by conservative dogma and closed minded-ness when it comes to these issues.
I’d burn my Australian passport if I didn’t need it to travel to Europe soon…
Love this article and the comments! Interesting read and discussion. I was just wondering, what are the implications of possessing an Indian passport? My current girlfriend has one hence the curiosity.
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There’s the further consideration of where your passport was issued.
I held a British passport and a Yugoslav one, once upon a time.
But to save on beaurocracy in YU we’d pay to have it issued in the embassy in uk. It did cost much more. But when the police opened my passport for ID, I didn’t need to explain why I had no ID card.
Issued in London, inside my passport, was enough
vrlo dobro, da ?
Being from Northern Ireland is by far the best scenario – It entitles you to both a British passport and and Irish passport. So you can either be hated (with the british) and loved (with the irish) wherever you go :)
That is indeed a nice position to be in. I can’t think of many other scenarios where one location automatically entitles one to two passports.
Having both the US passport and the UK passport is disgusting. Choose your loyalties
I’m afraid the world doesn’t work that way anymore, Ted. How loyal are your political “leaders” to you? We’re very much on our own and must make the most of these circumstances accordingly.
This article makes absolute no sense. Being robbed is much more likely than being hostage by terrorists and it doesn’t matter which passport you’re holding. Also, you have to be in a dangerous site to be held hostage and, as far as I know, only dumb journalists with no love for life go there. Also, what makes you think that all terrorists care for which piece of paper you carry on your pocket? If you’re so worried about terrorists you should instead get a gun. Why do first world people take for granted the luck they have? I have a Brazilian passport, wanna change?
I’m afraid you’ve completely missed the point of this article… At no point was it suggested that an Italian passport would allow one to walk on water or to regrow hair or act as a bulletproof vest. An event such as being robbed can happen to anyone regardless of the passport they carry. The article was a discussion of giving oneself an edge in ways that CAN be controlled (such as having a useful passport in a hostage situation).
As to your journalist comment… Actually, I am a “dumb journalist” that goes to conflict zones. Your suggestion as to why I (or others) do so is as stupid as you apparently are for saying that. A number of your countrymen seem to share my perspective as I have met many Brazilians in places like Iraq and they have made a good reputation for themselves. They go to such places precisely because they do love life and don’t want to end up stuck in a meaningless, unfulfilling job in an office or shop. They want to have an exciting, fulfilling life. You are clearly not the target audience.
Lastly, your comment about “getting a gun” makes it seem as if your knowledge of travel and war zones is derived entirely from video games and James Bond movies. With a few exceptions, one cannot simply stroll down a street in the average city with a loaded carbine strapped to their back. You think your little concealed pistol is going to save the day when you’re up against a team of heavily armed terrorist killers that don’t care about living and have the element of surprise on their side? No, you’re either dead or you are a hostage. If you’re dead, you’re dead. If you’re a hostage though, I’ll bet you’d rather have that Brazilian passport than an American passport.
What you want it’s a passport that gets you excess to countries that have a strict immigration policy like US Canada and Australia and that it’s respected throughout the world.. a lot of countries passports say for example 130 visa free travel, but does it do what it says (not at all) a passport from EU it says visa free for Canada US and Australia but it’s not that easy to travel with those passports to US &Canada you get send back for many simple reasons… no other passport gets you excess to US like the Canadian passport and its more friendly throughout the world.. but I’m my opinion the best passport are The 5 eye countries which is US Canada Australia U.K. And New Zealand
That’s a good point, Ben. For day-to-day concerns, a passport from one of the countries in the 5 Eyes is great… I’m not disputing that at all. However, there is really no European Union passport that will have a hard time gaining entry to the U.S. Yes, one will have to fill out the annoying ESTA, but that’s a formality. For other concerns – such as the cost of obtaining a visa to another country, being permitted to visit at all (Iran) or the hostage scenario outlined in this article, there are definitely some 5 Eyes passports that are better than others. New Zealand and Canada are seemingly pretty good, Australia is probably in the middle and the U.S. and the U.K., of course, can be problematic. There is the perception problem I mentioned above with the New Zealand passport, but we haven’t seen this put to the test yet. I would point out though that poor Robert Hall and John Ridsdel (both Canadian) were recently murdered in the Philippines by Islamic militants after Canada apparently refused to pay a ransom. I don’t know if New Zealand pays ransoms or not. So, even the “best” 5 Eyes passports have their weaknesses in some of the scenarios outlined above. I suppose that, ideally, one would have an American passport for unquestioned access to the U.S. (and its financial and job markets), a British passport (because we don’t know which immigration policies a post-Brexit Britain will have) and an Italian passport for all of the reasons mentioned in the article. If forced to pick just one though?
The EU passports are good don’t get me wrong but when it comes to US and Canada you have to be flawless to get thrue customs and immigration… if you ever had a criminal record or a DUi or attempt it to emigrate anywhere else before there is no way you can come to Canada or US..for example.. if you come for visit you have to prove that you have a steady job back home and that you have enough money for your stay and pass all the immigration requirements.. do you know how many Europeans get denied entry every year and they are under Visa waiver program… now when it comes to foreign countries and ransom neither Canada or US pay ransom for their citizens..that it’s true and I think it’s a good thing because it would recruit for more hostages abduction if that happened…
Oh, I know. The Americans are a pain in the ass at the border and the Canadians have given me the full treatment twice now. However, I do not know of anyone with an EU passport that has been denied entry to the U.S. or Canada. I was refused entry to the U.K. once with an American passport though… I’m not saying that EU nationals aren’t refused entry, by the way, I’m just saying that I don’t know the numbers or know anyone personally that had had that happen to them. Do you have any statistics or numbers on that? Also, I understand the argument for not paying ransoms and on an intellectual level I cannot find fault with it. However, when it is you kneeling in the sand in an orange jumpsuit with a camera in front of you and a knife at your throat, it is perhaps difficult to be so so objective, no?
To be honest I don’t know what the percentages exactly of europeans being denied entry is, but I know it’s very high for the fact that The economy and the unemployment rate It’s very high in most parts of Europe, and in Canada and the US we take that very seriously of people come here for work and not pay taxes, that affects the economy big time.. that’s why we have a strong stabled economy and good employment, but again That’s one of the many reasons you can get denied entry… last year one of my close relatives an Italian passport was coming here to stay two months over the summer and he had $2000 he could prove… the Emigration officer told him you’re going to stay in one of the most expensive places in the world for two months and you have only $2000,you wouldn’t survive on that much money he told him, and they kept him there until I went there and guaranteed for him that I was gonna take care of him and make sure he goes back home in time…to Americans or Canadians no one questions those things abroad… and to your point of the hostage situation i know it’s terrible both ways you look at it… (if you pay or don’t pay) if you pay that meant that you gonna have more people been target and kept hostage… and if you don’t pay you could end up badly, but the only solution it to know where your going and not go places that are high risk and hope for the best!
Your knowledge about how this passport thing works is pretty limited. Terrorists will see you as enemy if you’re holding any western passport (or even Japanese). The whole thing about getting an Italian passport is pointless, and since you want a passport just for the specific situation of being held hostage you might as well get a fake one, the terrorists aren’t stupid but they’re not immigration officers neither.
As for what I said about journalists, I admit my choice of words was unnecessarily offensive and disrespectful, and for that I’m sorry. As a married man willing to have children I just can’t understand why would someone risk its own life like that.
I wasn’t serious about the gun thing, I was just trying to illustrate my point about how useless carrying a different passport in such an unpredictable situation would be, specially if you consider how difficult it is to get a passport through naturalisation. Don’t be delusional thinking people won’t hate you because you carry a “nicer” passport, humans always find a reason to hate each other. Just the other day I saw a video of a Portuguese drone failing to take off and an American guy in the comment section made tens of hateful comments towards Portuguese people. Here in Brazil Spanish people became very unpopular some years ago just because several Brazilians were denied entry in Madrid for stupid reasons. Many Argentinians hates us, believe it or not, just because of football. They also hate you British because of those islands. And they hate Chilean because they didn’t help Argentinians back then. Argentinians and Mexicans hate each other too. My point is: wherever you go and with whatever passport you have people will hate you because your nationality or other stuff. There are people with anti-italian sentiment out there, and one of them might be in the future the one holding a knife at one of those horrible videos.
Ben: I have to disagree that the number of EU nationals being denied entry is “very high.” I know that it happens, but I think it is rare that it is not possible for one to eventually overcome the concerns of the immigration authorities.
I was actually just denied an Algerian visa because I couldn’t demonstrate a reliable source of income (my income is erratic). So, yes, I do understand what it is to be questioned about these things. Also, I was refused entry into the UK once as well. And I won’t even go into the countless other indignities I have suffered for having two of the “5 Eyes” passports. So, trust me, I am well aware of the nightmare that crossing a border can be and don’t think that someone with a Canadian or American passport is exempt from these things.
There are reasons that people go to high risk countries and I think it is too simplistic to just say that someone shouldn’t go there as if that was the answer to everything. I agree that hoping for the best is an important quality, but I also believe that there are things one can do to improve their chances. One of those things is having an Italian passport. Again, I’m not saying that it will save everyone’s life. However, if you were confronted by an angry group of militants and you’ve got a rifle shoved into your stomach, which passport are you going to pull out if you had an American and an Italian passport in your pocket? I would haul out the Italian one.
DELAYEDADOLESCENT: You think I don’t realize that a terrorist will still hate me, even with an Italian passport, and would love to slowly torture me to death? Trust me, I have spent a lot of time in these places and I know what I’m dealing with. However, there is something they love more than they hate me: MONEY! So, the fact of the matter is that usually Italians get released by these groups and usually Americans and British end up with a knife against their throat in front of a camera. In that scenario I’d rather be Italian than an American.
The fake passport doesn’t work. Yes, maybe it will fool someone that just glances at a passport, but if you’re taken hostage these groups will spend months getting to know every detail of your life (and they will torture you if they do not consider you forthcoming enough). If you’re in possession of a fake passport, they’re going to figure that out pretty quickly with a Google search and you will be accused of being a spy (which is not something that you want). Also, a fake passport doesn’t do any good when encountering real border authorities. So, take someone entering Brazil with an American passport or an Italian passport. The Italian gets waved right in, but the American pays a fortune (Yes, I understand the reason for that, but that is a separate conversation and I didn’t make those policies).
I have a U.S and Canadian passport and I’m very proud of both
I have a Canadian and US passport and proud of both
The ideal secondary passport for you would be a Chilean or Korean one. In fact, they are the only ones in the whole world that grants visa free travel to Russia and USA at the same time.
It takes five years for Chile and three years for Korea, and if you are married to a Korean AND have a child, you get it immediately.
Both countries allow dual citizenship.
How do you plan on getting an Italian passport?
It was easy. I just married a beautiful Italian girl…