Meanings
- neologismuncountablethe ability of a person to travel internationally without visas, additional scrutiny and other hindrances, based on their nationality (represented by their passport); in particular, the collective advantage granted to citizens of wealthy, Western countries to do so.
Alma Asinobi explained that she is embarking on the challenge with her Nigerian passport to highlight the issues surrounding passport privilege for Africans.
2025 March 7, Racheal Ayodele, “Nigerian travel creator Alma Asinobi eyes world record, to visit all continents in 70 hours”, in Daily Post2 more examples
She (Jessica Nabongo) has fulfilled her dream of visiting every country in the world, becoming the first Black woman to do so. "Passport privilege is a thing, and having a US passport helped me, but having a Ugandan passport helped as well," she told the BBC.
2020 January 1, Hannah Ajala, “What does it mean to be a black traveller?”, in BBCWhich means that people with "passport privilege" — AKA, the ability to travel freely from country to country — may end up feeling like the stars of some massive international adventure, while people whose travel is more restricted feel like perpetual interlopers.
2023 November 29, B.A. Parker, Christina Cala, Leah Donnella, “Travel is supposed to expand your horizons...but it's complicated”, in Code Switch, NPR
Origin
Cite this entry
passport privilege. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/passport%20privilege
“passport privilege.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/passport%20privilege. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “passport privilege,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/passport%20privilege.
Source: passport privilege on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.