The passports that open all doors

 

Chances are you only have one passport -- maybe two if you have dual nationality.

But find yourself in a particular job -- diplomatic, investigative or even presidential -- and you may get your mitts on documentation that's altogether inaccessible to the hoi polloi.

Here are some of the nonstandard passports and passes out there.

Diplomatic passport

What is it? Diplomatic passports are issued to government diplomats and consuls stationed abroad.

So, for instance, the United States chargé d'affaires in France, Brian Aggeler, will hold a diplomatic passport, as will the French Ambassador to the United States, Philippe Étienne.

What are the benefits? The requirement for a visa is often waived to ensure smooth passage. British diplomatic passport holders, for example, get visa-free entry to China.

Diplomats also often enjoy diplomatic immunity (note: this doesn't give carte blanche to commit any crime you like while abroad). Family members of diplomats can sometimes acquire a diplomatic passport, too.

What else? In the UK, there's a very special type of diplomatic passport, marked with the stamp of the Queen's Messenger Service (QMS).

This is an elite group of couriers, who've been delivering classified diplomatic material for some 800 years.

Meanwhile, there was controversy surrounding Canadian diplomatic passports in 2017 when it was revealed that the country was possibly dishing out too many of them.

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