A colleague of mine recently received a request from someone about how to obtain a diplomatic passport. The individual had newly been appointed as a private secretary to a minister, and wanted to ensure he received all the perks that came with the job. He insisted that he be issued a diplomatic passport, even though it was explained that private secretaries to Ministers were not entitled to such.

So here we are, trying to debunk the myth of diplomatic passports. The common error is to think that all holders of a diplomatic passport would automatically be entitled to the immunities of a diplomat. This is patently wrong; only diplomats stationed (i.e. posted) to that country get to enjoy diplomatic immunity. Others, for example diplomats who travel for leisure, do not enjoy diplomatic immunity. The same applies to diplomatic passport holders who have not been assigned to that particular country – they do not enjoy diplomatic immunity nor are they entitled to any of the diplomatic privileges.

Forget about the Hollywood movies that make it seem that the diplomatic passport gives you carte blanche to go wherever you want and enjoy full diplomatic immunity by virtue of holding the passport. Even if you were thinking about cutting the queue in Heathrow and other equally busy airports by going through the diplomatic lane, think again. For many of the more enlightened immigration services, you would need to not only show your diplomatic passport but also the diplomatic card that identifies you as a diplomat-in-residence at that country.

Malaysian passports (the normal kind) is currently ranked as the 9th most powerful passport in the world, with access to 162 countries. This means that a holder of regular Malaysian passport has visa-free access, or visa-upon-arrival to 162 countries in the world. Therefore, in reality, Malaysians do not need to have a diplomatic passport to be granted access to travel practically anywhere.

In fact, having a diplomatic passport can be cumbersome. For those countries that need a visa, such as to perform the Hajj in Saudi Arabia, or for travel to the United States, the application for a visa by a diplomatic passport holder must be accompanied by a Third Person Note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). This is not a problem for officers of the Ministry itself, but for others outside of the Ministry, this can be a major cause for delay because it adds another layer to the bureaucracy. This is why many former Malaysian diplomats voluntarily give up their diplomatic passports when they leave service – it simply is not worth it to have to request a Third Person Note from the MFA and then to have to go in person to pick it up, when a regular passport will get you through the application process much more easily.

Just to add – privileges and immunity for a member of a delegation when attending an international conference can be granted from the Host Country Agreement that an international organisation normally signs with the country hosting the conference. The United Nations’ offices also puts in place the Host Country Agreement to ensure that negotiators are given easy access to come into a particular country where the UN meeting is being held.

The only benefit I can see to having a diplomatic passport when you travel, is bragging rights or the sense of self-entitlement. But many a-time I find that people don’t even notice the word ‘diplomatic’, which these days is right after the crest, and in a smaller font. You can flash a diplomatic passport all you want, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that it makes a big difference.