Whilst the general concept of travel documentation has existed in various forms, its modern manifestation did not arrive until the First World War when European governments were especially concerned with securing their borders and the mediation of who was crossing into their territories. This wartime measure was quickly internationalised in the 1920s, and later standardised by the United Nations in 1980. In the 21st century, they are an essential form of identification for those wishing to travel beyond their borders, and the key to unlocking various visas and migration forms.
Recently the European Union has begun exploring the possibility of digitalising passports to modernise the practice. Whilst there is something to be said for the greater accessibility that this may grant, particularly when passports can be so expensive to acquire or replace, this proposal does not address the inequalities inherent to our global passport system. There have also been proposals to abolish passports in favour of written permission letters or entry applications, all of which would likely fail to address the role that passports play in reinforcing the global hierarchy of nations.
This inequality of citizenship goes against the principles of the United Nations and its promotion of “global citizenship” and the role it plays should be critically considered as a feature of our globalised world.
Look no further than the Passport Index, a yearly ranking of the world's “strongest” passports, based around how many countries you are afforded visa-free access to. Unsurprisingly, the top ranks are dominated by the Global North, whilst the majority of Africa and West Asia make up the lowest ranks. The difference in global accessibility between that of the United Arab Emirates, the expat haven and highest ranked passport that allows for visa-free access to 133 countries, with that of Syria, whose passport only provides visa-free access to 9 countries, is startling.
To dismiss the inequalities of our international system of passports and visas as a matter of “practicality” or “necessity” is to excuse its inherent discrimination. Rather, this controversial war measure has transformed citizenship, a European initiative that has been exported globally to entrench the advantages of the Global North in business, travel, and migration, where citizens with “powerful” passports like that of Spain, Japan, or the United States have greater access to the attractions and opportunities of the world. Meanwhile, citizens from the Global South with “weak” passports like that of Syria, Algeria, or Pakistan, are far more limited in the places they have access to.
This inequality of citizenship goes against the principles of the United Nations and its promotion of “global citizenship” and the role it plays should be critically considered as a feature of our globalised world. Passports and their associated visa requirements should be viewed as tools that have been used to maintain the international hierarchy of Global North and South countries, and tools that are responsible for the enormous inequality of access to our rights to movement.