Best passport to travel

[GTIR]

Is there any benefit from traveling on an Irish passport in say UAE or than erea?

I'm sure a US one is less favourable in most areas.

Am I less likely to get beheaded if I've a UK or Canadian passport?

What abou an OZ passport?

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Seems an odd question, who gets to choose which passport they use?

[Shay HTFC]

I have a UK one and a German one. Figure that whowing the German one might be useful should I ever get kidnapped by terrorists.

[davepoth]

Swiss is best of all - they haven't pissed many people off over the years. The UK one is pretty good throughout the Middle East on the proviso that it doesn't have an Israeli visa stamp in it.

[LooneyTunes]

IIRC, you have to pay a small fortune for the visa if you want to get in with a Canadian passport - something about an ongoing political dispute.

Check the visa list and you'll see what the fees are. Other than that, don't think there's any advantage in that region. Other places yes, Irish or Canadian my be seen as "friendlier".

[GTIR]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

Seems an odd question, who gets to choose which passport they use?

I need to renew my passport next year and I can get an Irish one if I like and wondered if there is any benefit in having an Irish one.

That got me wondering what is the best passport to have, see.

[GeraldSmith]

Most of the major countries are pretty equal when it comes to the number of countries you can visit without needing a visa. The main issue with the smaller countries, like Ireland, is that they don't have many embassies. So as a British citizen travelling the world you'll find there is a British embassy in most countries, it you are Irish there isn't the same coverage. The country with the most embassies looking after their citizens abroad is, hardly surprisingly, the USA.

[GTIR]

Maybe to reduce the chances of a beheading I'll get both?

[Victor McDade]

GTIR said:

I need to renew my passport next year and I can get an Irish one if I like and wondered if there is any benefit in having an Irish one.

That got me wondering what is the best passport to have, see.

There are always benefits of having 2 or more passports. For example if you ever have to travel to Israel, it would then make life difficult using the same passport to enter say the UAE, or Saudi Arabia. Using your other passport in this instance makes life easier.

I guess if you were ever arrested and bailed overseas and had a passport seized, you could use the other to make a quick getaway

[LooneyTunes]

GTIR said:

Maybe to reduce the chances of a beheading I'll get both?

If I were in a position to have two, then I would - provided the risk of national service etc wasn't significant!

[shirt]

Victor McDade said:

GTIR said:

I need to renew my passport next year and I can get an Irish one if I like and wondered if there is any benefit in having an Irish one.

That got me wondering what is the best passport to have, see.

There are always benefits of having 2 or more passports. For example if you ever have to travel to Israel, it would then make life difficult using the same passport to enter say the UAE, or Saudi Arabia. Using your other passport in this instance makes life easier.

I guess if you were ever arrested and bailed overseas and had a passport seized, you could use the other to make a quick getaway

not really. they'll let you in as a tourist with an israeli visa, and an iranian visa poses no problem when entering israel. i've first hand experience of both.

[anonymous-user]

My kids can choose the passport they want to use, and for long haul that involves a stop in the middle east the use a Norwegian one, we all think it is safer than the british one.
And before you say it doesn't happen I was once stuck in S Sudan for a week could not move as I had a British passport. Got to Khartoum with friends in their Land cruiser every one else had malysian passports no problem at the check points, as I had a Malysian [ermit and employer.

[GT03ROB]

Victor McDade said:

GTIR said:

I need to renew my passport next year and I can get an Irish one if I like and wondered if there is any benefit in having an Irish one.

That got me wondering what is the best passport to have, see.

There are always benefits of having 2 or more passports. For example if you ever have to travel to Israel, it would then make life difficult using the same passport to enter say the UAE, or Saudi Arabia. Using your other passport in this instance makes life easier.

I guess if you were ever arrested and bailed overseas and had a passport seized, you could use the other to make a quick getaway

So get 2 British passports!

Actually 1 of each is probably best bet.

[GeraldSmith]

shirt said:

not really. they'll let you in as a tourist with an israeli visa, and an iranian visa poses no problem when entering israel. i've first hand experience of both.

It can cause a problem, I have personal experience of someone I was traveling with not being allowed into Saudi Arabia because he had Egyptian stamps from a border crossing with Israel. (Not Israeli stamps, but Egyptian ones that could only have been acquired crossing from Israel).

[Flintstone]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

Seems an odd question, who gets to choose which passport they use?

You'd be surprised.

I have four. One UK (expired) but with unexpired visas for several countries so I carry that. One current UK one with other visas, a second current UK one in case one is away collecting a new visa and an Australian one.

[JuniorD]

I have Irish and British passports with staggered validity so don't ever have to panic come renewal time of one. Maybe Irish passports give more freedom of movement in the middle east outside of Isreal. For example Isreali govt agents have used them, as did Oliver North and that crew during the Iran Contra affair.
Also, the Irish govt don't trot out that line about not negotiating with terrorists when their people are taken. I know an Irish ambassador and know of the lengths th3y go to repatriate their citizens.

What I would like is a Canadian passport so that when I travel there I'm not treated like a criminal. Their border agents are complete jockeys.

[Rude-boy]

As said it may be a surprise given how we seem to be universally hated but unless you have an Israeli visa in it the British Passport is about the best one to hold for almost any part of the globe.

[GeraldSmith]

Rude-boy said:

As said it may be a surprise given how we seem to be universally hated but unless you have an Israeli visa in it the British Passport is about the best one to hold for almost any part of the globe.

I've never felt that we are universally hated, quite the opposite in fact. Most of the hate gets directed at the Americans, in the main we are fairly well respected around the world.

[GT03ROB]

GeraldSmith said:

I've never felt that we are universally hated, quite the opposite in fact. Most of the hate gets directed at the Americans, in the main we are fairly well respected around the world.

Quite, we are not universally, especially in the middle east. I have an abiding memory of standing in the queue at passport control in Abu Dhabi, which was quite long. Passport officer sticks head out of booth and says "Any British please come forward". The face of the yanks in front of me as I walked passed them..... priceless!!

[Rude-boy]

I hear what you are saying, and agree with the reality.

To read/hear/see the news though we are the Great Satan's lickspittle and responsible for the problems of a third of the World.