{"id":562,"date":"2026-05-27T16:07:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T16:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/what-its-like-to-travel-with-a-weak-passport-theres-no-dignity\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T16:07:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T16:07:37","slug":"what-its-like-to-travel-with-a-weak-passport-theres-no-dignity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/what-its-like-to-travel-with-a-weak-passport-theres-no-dignity\/","title":{"rendered":"What it\u2019s like to travel with a weak passport: \u2018There\u2019s no dignity\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span> OlegD\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

International tourism sells the promise of a borderless world: open skies, new horizons, the freedom to explore. But for the holder of a weak passport, that promise rings hollow.<\/p>\n

The Henley Passport Index (HPI)<\/a> ranks the world\u2019s passports by the number of destinations their holders can visit visa-free. This may be affected by factors like a country\u2019s economic and political stability, colonial history and association with risks or terrorism. Singaporean passport holders currently top the list, enjoying visa-free access to 192 destinations worldwide. Afghan nationals, at the other end \u2013 only 23.<\/p>\n

In a recent study<\/a>, my co-author Samira Zare and I explored the challenges that tourists with low-ranking passports face at airport borders.<\/p>\n

Travelling with a weak passport is costly and time-consuming. Before a holiday even begins, tourists with a weak passport navigate visa applications months in advance. They may attend interviews, provide extensive documentation and still be rejected.<\/p>\n

Crossing a border is one of the most charged moments in any trip. Our research reveals that tourists regularly encounter both subtle and overt challenges at border control, which they perceive to be influenced by assumptions about their passport, nationality, race, gender and class. These experiences leave real emotional marks. <\/p>\n

We found that tourists, particularly those with weak passports, often adopt certain qualities \u2013 softening their tone, smiling more than feels natural and overexplaining their itinerary \u2013 to project what we call \u201cperformed innocence or docility\u201d. In other words, taking steps to demonstrate that they are bona fide tourists.<\/p>\n

Participants described being asked \u201cpatronising\u201d or \u201ccondescending\u201d questions by border control agents, or asked more questions than their travel companions with different passports. Others described how they \u201chave developed coping strategies which include using my title, making sure I speak quite articulately to the person\u201d, and \u201c[playing] up your intelligence and big words, the higher chances they\u2019ll treat you better\u201d.<\/p>\n

Another explained that \u201cthere is safety in subservience. Why pick a fight during my holiday? I don\u2019t have enough resources to take on such an elaborate infrastructure of \u2018passport apartheid\u2019.\u201d Several said they have become \u201cdesensitised to\u201d the extensive border scrutiny.<\/p>\n

In particular, tourists of certain nationalities, ethnic minorities and women travelling alone reported being subjected to extended questioning, secondary screening and what they described as a baseline suspicion. The emotional impact was profound<\/a>. Participants reported embarrassment, shame, anxiety, self-doubt, blame and anger that lingered after the border crossing, sometimes tainting the entire trip. One described his feeling of powerlessness:<\/p>\n

\n

There\u2019s no dignity because you\u2019re in front of everyone who are thinking \u2026 [that] I\u2019ve done something illegal, dodgy \u2026 You lose your agency in that moment because you are completely at their mercy.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Tourism research has long focused on the positive restoration that travel offers \u2013 relaxation, adventure and escape. Our study suggests that for some tourists, the journey to their holiday begins with dread: \u201cEven with the right paperwork and visas, there is always a lingering fear that you may not be allowed into the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tightening borders, shrinking mobility<\/h2>\n

Globally, borders are becoming more complex, more digitised and, for many tourists, more restrictive. The introduction of the EU\u2019s entry-exit system<\/a>, which requires biometric border checks for non-EU visitors, suggests that borders will increasingly operate through automated surveillance, pre-arrival data checks and algorithmic risk profiling, rather than human discretion. <\/p>\n

Decisions about who can cross are now embedded in visa application portals, electronic travel authorisations and advance passenger data systems. Digitalisation may streamline borders, but it comes with risks. When discrimination is embedded in an algorithm rather than human decision, it becomes far more difficult to see, challenge or overturn.<\/p>\n

The burden of proof for travellers is increasing. From February 2026, the UK\u2019s new Electronic Travel Authorisation system<\/a> came into full effect, with unexpected implications for British dual nationals<\/a>. British citizens who hold another nationality are now required to present a valid British passport. A British citizen with an expired UK passport could be denied boarding.<\/p>\n

\n \"A
\n Changing border requirements are affecting many tourists.<\/span>
\n 1000 Words\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Increasing document requirements already affect tourists with weak passports. As one participant said: \u201cYou must carry [a lot] of documents. I still have a habit of carrying unnecessary documents \u2026 just everything to prove that I am who I say I am, and I can travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet what counts as sufficient proof is not necessarily a settled issue. Passport strength and travel access is relative and constantly shifting, shaped by geopolitics, diplomacy and political will. The goalposts for who must prove themselves, and how, are always moving.<\/p>\n

International tourism generates trillions of dollars annually and depends on the flow of people across borders. Yet there is a lack of recognition of the structural inequality that shapes who can participate in that flow, and the emotional toll on those who navigate it at a disadvantage. Research<\/a> shows visa restrictions alone deter tourism inflows by around 20%.<\/p>\n

An industry that measures success in arrivals and revenue appears to have little incentive to care about who gets left behind at the border. But this isn\u2019t entirely true. When a tourist arrives after hours of questioning, suspicion, and unwelcoming treatment, that experience also becomes part of how they perceive the destination<\/a>. It shapes whether they return, what they tell others and how they see themselves as travellers.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Isabella Qing Ye does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OlegD\/Shutterstock International tourism sells the promise of a borderless world: open skies, new horizons, the freedom to explore. But for the holder of a weak passport, that promise rings hollow. The Henley Passport Index (HPI) ranks the world\u2019s passports by the number of destinations their holders can visit visa-free. This may be affected by factors […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}