do you need a visa with a diplomatic passport

Can you travel to any country with a diplomatic passport?

Prohibited Use. U.S. Government employees traveling abroad on personal travel shall not use an "Official or Diplomatic" passport in any capacity. U.S. Government employees detailed to a private or international organization shall not use an "Official or Diplomatic" passport.

Can I use my diplomatic passport for personal travel?

b. With the exception of those traveling with courtesy diplomatic passports, bearers of special-issuance passports must use a regular passport for all personal travel, including personal travel originating from the United States.

What does a diplomatic passport give you?

Meeting top ranking government officials in any country. Sovereign inviolable status of your home and residence. Free visas to any country and visa free travel in many cases. Never pay airport departure tax.

What's a diplomatic visa?

Ambassadors, Diplomats, Public Ministers and other Diplomatic Personnel can apply for an A-visa if they are traveling to the United States on behalf of their government with an intended official purpose. The purpose for which the applicant is traveling should be government-natured.

How long is a diplomatic passport good for?

five yearsThe period of validity of a diplomatic passport, unless limited by the Department to a shorter period, is five years from the date of issue, or so long as the bearer maintains his or her diplomatic status, whichever is shorter.

Can I buy a diplomatic passport?

Diplomatic passports are not sold. They are available for select individuals. We offer the guidance, care and legal advice to obtain these documents.

What is a black passport?

Diplomatic passports are issued to government officials and their families who have been sent abroad to attend congresses and conferences. It is black, has 28 pages and is exempt from any fees.

What are the benefits of being a diplomat?

Diplomats and their families are eligible for medical, dental and visual insurance at group rates. They also receive allowances for foreign travel, moving abroad and retention. When they retire, diplomats earn income from a pension, Social Security and a Thrift Savings Plan.

Which people get diplomatic passports?

Diplomatic passports are issued to the dignitaries of the State, Diplomats and other entitled categories in pursuance of Para-45 of Part-I of Passport & Visa Manual, 2006. Approval of Diplomatic Passports is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Do diplomats require visa?

A new online system for issuance of diplomatic/official visas has been introduced w.e.f February 2015. All foreigners holding diplomatic/official/service passports, in order to obtain a diplomatic or official visa, are required to submit visa applications online (indianfrro.gov.in/mea).

Do diplomats have visas?

Diplomats and other foreign government officials traveling to the United States to engage solely in official duties or activities on behalf of their national government must obtain A-1 or A-2 visas prior to entering the United States. They cannot travel using visitor visas or under the Visa Waiver Program.

Do diplomats need visa UK?

Footnotes. (1): Holders of diplomatic and special passports do not require a visa for official visits, tourist visits or transit. (2): Holders of diplomatic passports do not require a visa.

What is the difference between diplomatic and official passport?

Official Passport (White cover) is issued to individuals representing the Indian government on official business. It is a "Type S" passport, S stands for Service. Diplomatic Passport (Maroon cover) is issued to Indian diplomats, top ranking government officials and diplomatic couriers.

Can you use a diplomatic passport for personal travel India?

This passport is used for personal or business travels. There is no government involvement in it. Officials use this passport to travel abroad for the official duty of the Government of India.

Who uses diplomatic passport in Nigeria?

Nigerian diplomatic passport lets you travel to 69 countries/territories without a prior visa. It is ranked #91 in the world....🇳🇬 Nigerian diplomatic passport.Visa-Free/Visa-on-arrival🇲🇬 MadagascarVisa on arrival or eVisa. 90 days, 30 days free of charge.63 more rows

Who can hold diplomatic passport?

In India, the diplomatic passport is issued to individuals who have a diplomatic status in the country or who are travelling abroad on official duty for the Government of India. The diplomatic passport has a different cover which is deep red in color.

Who is issued a diplomatic passport?

Diplomatic passports are issued only to diplomats and their accompanying family and in some countries very senior government officials , such as current and former heads of state.

Why are diplomats protected?

A country's diplomats enjoy a protected status when they serve in countries abroad. Because they are sovereign representatives of their home country , and because the country they are serving in likely also has diplomats back home in their cown ountry, everyone has agreed that a diplomat should not be subject to local laws. This gives them a protected status to carry out their mission without worrying about being arrested or harassed by police or local authorities. If something like this did not exist, a diplomat would worry that they might not be able to say or do certain things out of fear of

What is a maroon passport?

Maroon passport is issued to all gazzetted officers of MEA and all officers above the rank of Joint Secretary. The same brown passport, also known as Diplomatic Passport, is issued to all Members of Parliament and even PM, President, etc.

What does an official passport mean?

An official passport would typically indicate that the bearer is an officer of the government in some capacity. I'm not sure that it is of much benefit. In some places I wouldn't necessarily want it known that I was a government employee. At least for Canada, the passports have a different colour cover; blue for standard, green for official and red for diplomatic. The wording is slightly different as well.

Do you get immunity from consular visas?

If you also have a diplomatic visa and a certain diplomatic status you get immunity from most crimes in the country you are assigned to (but see #2 below). Often you only have consular immunity which is simply protection from decisions you make at work, not in the community.

Does a diplomatic passport confer immunity?

A diplomatic passport does not confer diplomatic immunity. For that to happen happen a diplomat must be proposed to and accepted by the host government.

Can you keep expired passports in the same place?

Why I have a cigar cutter in there is a mystery for the ages. Pro Tip: never keep your expired passports in the same place as your current one. I've seen others learn that the hard way. No faster way to ruin a vacation than to show up at an airport or cruise terminal with an expired passport.

What is a diplomatic passport?

Diplomatic passport are a special type of passports that give one extra traveling privileges compared to a regular passport.

How long does it take to get a diplomatic passport?

Nevertheless, the application will be forwarded to the US State Department. In this case, it might take up to 3 months to be issued a US diplomatic visa.

Do close family members of a person have the right to a diplomatic passport?

In addition, close family members of these persons have also the right to a diplomatic passport.

Can diplomats travel abroad?

US diplomats and other important employees of the US Government have the right of seeking a passport. On this type of passport, they can travel abroad visa-free to many countries to complete their official duties. passport applications are collected and processed by the State Department in Washington D.C. More precisely, the Special Issuance Agency in Washington is the authority charged with this duty.

Can everyone get a passport?

Not everyone working in the Government can get a passport. Typically, only a few high-ranking officials are qualified for this type of passport. Moreover, the list of people entitled to passports is different among countries.

Is it easier to get a diplomatic passport or a regular passport?

An application for a diplomatic passport is easier than the one for a regular passport. The list of documents one application must contain varies among countries. In general, you must provide the following documents

What is a diplomatic passport?

15 Myths about Diplomatic passports. Diplomatic passports that comes with immunity is a wide ly misunderstood topic. Diplomatic passports are issued to officials or employees of the Government (and their dependents) traveling abroad on official work or duties. These are no fee passports issued by Governments usually valid for 5 years.

What is the difference between Official vs Diplomatic passports?

The official and diplomatic passports both conferring varying levels of diplomatic immunity upon their bearers. In the US for example,

Why did the Mongols create the first diplomatic passport?

Mongols invented the world’s first diplomatic passport known as “Paiza” to protect merchants traveling in the silk route. Diplomatic immunity first originated in India to protect messengers during hindu wars.

What is diplomatic immunity?

Diplomatic and consular immunity are not intended to benefit the individual; they are intended to benefit the mission of the foreign government or international organization. Thus an individual does not “own” his or her immunity and it may be waived, in whole or in part, by the mission member’s government.

Why do countries issue special license plates?

Most countries issue special car license plates to accredited diplomats, to indicate the operators and passengers of those vehicles may have diplomatic immunity. These are the frequently used codes

When was diplomatic immunity codified?

Modern diplomatic immunity was codified as international law in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) which has been accepted by 192 nations.

Do diplomatic passports have immunity?

Not all diplomatic passports have immunity (some have less immunity, depending on the rank of the official). Do not allow the bearer to carry classified or sensitive material across borders. Do not allow the bearer to avoid questions from foreign immigration or bypass security.

What is a diplomatic passport?

You probably have heard of diplomatic passports, carried by a seemingly special tribe of people called diplomats. Some might say that diplomatic passports allow you to travel the world with need for a visa and make you untouchable by the police. Carrying a diplomatic passports does indeed sound quite fancy and evoke an image of special status.

Why are diplomatic passports important?

So to sum it up, diplomatic and official passports are also more of a utility. They help you to get through immigration counters and with visa processes, since you’re representing your country in a working capacity.

Why do you have to lin up at the lane reserved for diplomatic and official passport holders?

Lining up at the lane reserved for diplomatic and official passport holders will help the immigration officer assess the traveler’s eligibility to enter, since there sometimes are different rules or agreements between countries for the entry of people carrying diplomatic and official passports.

What are the advantages of diplomatic passports?

The most common advantage attributed to a diplomatic passports is its supposed power let you zip through an immigration line. I’ll get right to that…

Is a diplomatic passport the same as an official passport?

Don’t let the word “official” confuse you. Of course every passport is an official government document, but “official passports” like diplomatic passports, are distinct from regular passports. For the purpose of special lanes at airports and visa privileges, official passports and diplomatic passports often have the same advantages.

Do you need a diplomatic passport to get a visa?

In many cases they do. As mentioned, a diplomatic and official passport in some cases may be exempted from applying for a visa while holders of regular visas are not . In the cases where you do apply for a visa a diplomatic and official passports, there is often the assumption that you are applying for an official or work-related function. There usually will be less requirements than if a regular passport holder applies. However, because there is an assumption that the diplomatic or official passport will be used for work, that means that usually a diplomatic note, called a note verbale, is usually needed when you apply officially endorsing the visa application.

Can a consulate issue a visa if it is a diplomatic passport?

Just because a passport is diplomatic or official though doesn’t mean that the embassy or consulate will automatically issue you a visa. Just like a regular passport, they can also deny issuing you a visa if they see it within their national interest.

What is a U.S. Visa?

A citizen of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States generally must first obtain a U.S. visa, which is placed in the traveler’s passport, a travel document issued by the traveler’s country of citizenship.

Find out what visa type is appropriate for you

The type of visa you must obtain is defined by U.S. immigration law, and relates to the purpose of your travel.

Visa Appointment Wait Time

A wait time listed as "999 calendar days" indicates that the Consular Section is only providing that service to emergency cases. Please check the Embassy or Consulate website for further information.