Why I Qualify for an Emergency Passport From Britain

The Surprising Benefits of Being a Commonwealth Citizen.

The passing of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III’s coronation has led to a spate of articles on whether the British monarchy can survive in the modern world.

Generally overlooked are the connections that British history has created amongst a select group of nations… connections that provide useful benefits to holders of one of their passports.

The United Kingdom created the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1931. Since then, the Commonwealth has changed from an association of countries whose head of state is the British monarch to a looser alignment of 56 member states, most of which were formerly part of the British Empire

Charles is head of state in only 15 Commonwealth nations today. Thirty-six others—including my country of second citizenship, South Africa—are now republics. Five even have their own monarchs.

Before 1949, all citizens of the British Empire owed allegiance to the Crown as “subjects.” That meant they were considered British, with full rights in the U.K. itself. That’s no longer the case… but being a citizen of one of the Commonwealth countries still has benefits. As a Commonwealth citizen myself, I decided to review them and share them with you.

Commonwealth citizenship doesn’t guarantee the right of movement between, or settlement in, all Commonwealth countries. But when a citizen of one Commonwealth country travels to another, they aren’t regarded as foreign citizens. Instead, they have certain legal rights that aren’t extended to citizens of other nations.

For example, in 16 Commonwealth countries and the three Crown Dependencies of the U.K. (the islands of Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man), foreign Commonwealth citizens have voting rights. If I were to move to, say, Belize, and didn’t like the way my town was run, I could vote to change it. The same applies to most of the other Caribbean Commonwealth countries, as well as Mauritius.

In three Caribbean islands and in the U.K. itself, Commonwealth citizens may serve in one or both houses of the national legislature. For example, several members of the British House of Lords are South African.

Inside the U.K., Commonwealth citizens are exempt from registering as foreigners with the local police and may serve in the civil service and the British armed forces.

Although its influence is much diminished these days, the Commonwealth Secretariat still has a lot of influence over many Commonwealth nations. That gives the Commonwealth (and the U.K. itself) a lot of leverage over their internal policies, which they tend to use to prevent democratic backsliding and corruption. It’s not an exaggeration to say that one of the attractions of citizenship in the Caribbean island countries is the fact that the Commonwealth is keeping a close eye on them.

But the most practical benefit of Commonwealth citizenship is backup in case of consular troubles when abroad.

All Commonwealth citizens can get consular assistance from British embassies and consulates in non-Commonwealth nations where their home countries lack diplomatic representation. They are eligible to apply for British emergency passports if their travel documents have been lost or stolen. And if for some reason the British embassy isn’t able to help, those of other Commonwealth countries typically step into the breach.

For example, South Africa doesn’t have an embassy in any Central American countries. Let’s say I happen to lose my South African passport while visiting one of them (I’m particularly fond of Costa Rica and Panama).

I can simply go to the British embassy or consulate and obtain an emergency travel document. The same applies to the nearly three dozen other countries where South Africa doesn’t have diplomatic representation.

Of course, there is also a shared culture, particularly when it comes to sport and food. I’m a huge fan of cricket and rugby, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve established quick friendships over a beer in a local pub in another Commonwealth country by striking up a conversation about sport. And although cuisines vary widely, there are some commonalities rooted in a shared British heritage—quality ales being one of them.

The European Union justifiably gets the lion’s share of coverage when it comes to the benefits of having a second passport from a larger community of nations. But keep the Commonwealth in mind.

A second passport from a Commonwealth nation comes with a little-known and surprising array of benefits.