In the Queen Elizabeth thread, it was mentioned that she does not carry a passport, and this prompted me to wonder how it worked last week when all those international leaders landed at Dulles to go to the G8 conference. Surely the plane was met by ICE officials. Did they examine passports from Hollande and Merkel and Cameron? What if the queen had flown in?
Perhaps there’s some sort of diplomatic substitute for passports, but how far down the food chain does this extend? If Secretary of Transportation Ray La Hood flies to Frankfurt, does he go through passport control?
There is a diplomatic substitute for a passport its called a Diplomatic passport and it means you get VIP treatment but it still gets checked. Those arriving on private Jets still have to clear immigration but I believe that immigration staff come to meet the Jet on the tarmac.
All these public figures use diplomatic passports. The same is true for much lower ranking officials on diplomatic assignment. Their luggage is also not subject to inspection by security personnel of the hosting nation.
Sometimes things can go wrong. I remember an incident some years ago with a German member of parliament (who is of Turkish origin) who was held and interrogated for an hour or so by US immigrations officials. This politician obviously didn’t travel with a diplomatic passport.
In the past, rogue nations like Libya issued diplomatic passports to Palestinian terrorists to allow them to freely transport weapons and explosives
I would imagine this is precisely what happens: They seal every piece of luggage, down to the last briefcase and the last purse and declare it diplomatic luggage.
That’s definitely the case with visiting parties from dubious and/or openly hostile countries, i. e. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad coming to New York City on a visit to the United Nations headquarters.
BTW, all Vatican City passports are diplomatic passports. Vatican City citizenship is also odd, as it may be conferred on a person while they are working for the Vatican, and terminated along with employment.
I took it that the Queen didn’t carry any money, passport, etc., but does there exist no diplomatic documentation for her? I thought it was the “carrying” aspect–figured that some underling just held onto it for her and dealt with foreign officials if necessary. Does Prince Philip have to carry and show his diplomatic papers?
I would imagine that The Queen couldn’t have a passport - aren’t UK passports issued in her name? Mine says “Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern… etc.” It would seem odd her requesting something in her own name.
Well as one of my close friends is a diplomatic staffer for the Foreign Office, I have had the opportunity to ask him. His answer was that for Heads of State and or Governments who have passports (and their families and subordinates) it done behind the scenes, some aide takes the passport to an official who will do the needful. For others (staff, aides etc) there might be a special channel at the airport.
Diplomatic relations are sensitive and there is no way some lowly border agent is going to put a spanner in the works.
I had always that heads of state (not of governments, but only heads of state) do not carry passports. This means the the US president, the presidents or kings of various countries and so on. The queen is also Canada’s head of state, not the governer general.
There is a difference between an elective or appointive head of state (usually but not always ‘President’), who is a citizen of that nation chosen to carriy out the duties of the position for a term, and most monarchs, who embody in their person the sovereignty of the nation – vested in both parliamentary and presidential republics in ‘the people’ or in ‘the state’ (reich, imperium)…
E2R issuing herself a passport would be very much a parallel to George Burns’ portrayal of God being sworn in as a witness: “…the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me, me.” In the symbology of international law, she is the sovereignty which requests another nation to grant entry to one of its citizens.
This does not, of course, hold true for other members of Royal families, and a few monarchies have shifted the vesting of sovereignty from monarch to conceptual unit (the people or the nation).
So what? The passport is issued in the name of the abstract monarchy, not specifically in her personal name. It’s just a British oddity really, theres no real reason she couldn’t have one.
The person identified in this document is a citizen of X country (and, therefore, you can determine whether or not they should be allowed into your country based on parameters set up by your govt. for such individuals)
The person standing before you is the person identified in this document.
Seems to me that point 1 might not be necessary for a head of state, but point 2, however demeaning or embarrassing, still would be.
**ME: I’m the Queen of England, I am!
ICE AGENT: OK, great! Come on in, Ma’am!
**
(Which brings up something I’ve always wondered about—in the pre-photographic, pre-media age, how did anyone actually know when a visiting monarch was who he/she claimed he/she was? If you’ve never seen a picture of Henry VIII, how can you trust that the man in front of you really is him?)
King Louis decides to go and visit England (ok, that wouldn’t happen, but let’s pretend). He would bring with him advisors and often relatives with ties to important nobles in the English court, personal relationships being rather important in diplomacy. The English would be confronted with an unknown man, but one to whom (we shall say) the Dukes of Orleans and Berry defer and call King of France. These Dukes are already known to many in the English court, and many English peers can vouch for them. Aside from that, there’s a good chance that the King’s sister or cousin is married to someone there, who will also recognize him easily enough.
My New Zealand passport says " The Governor-General in the Realm of New Zealand requests in the Name of Her Majesty The Queen all whom it concern to allow the holder to pass without delay or hindrance and in case of need to give all lawful assistance and protection." (All capitals as written in the original.)
It at least is issued in the name of The Queen, not an abstract monarchy. I don’t have the full wording for a UK passport, but it is similar, as posted by candyman74
And my Canadian passport says “The minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada requests, in the name of Her Majesty the Queen, all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer such assitance and protection as may be necessary.” (et aussi en français)
It is issued in her name, apparently. Though it’s interesting that it’s not requested by the Governor General.
I don’t have my passport with me, but if I remember right, it has similar language, except instead of the Queen, it just says “The Secretary of State of the United States of America hereby requests all whom it may concern. . .”
Probably doesn’t mean that Hilary Clinton doesn’t need a passport.
Funny that the Queen “requests and requires” while the U.S. Secretary of state merely “requests.” Who does the Queen think she is? The Queen, or something? Oh, wait. . .