Selen Ozcan, who has dual citizenship, claims that, despite finally obtaining a British passport, she still puts it to one side while travelling as her original passport is ‘stronger’
A woman claims her first passport is ‘stronger’ than her British one (stock image)(Image: clubfoto via Getty Images)
A woman who endured a seven-year battle to secure a British passport has shared her clever airport time-saving technique. Selen Ozcan, who splits her time between London and Bahrain, used TikTok to showcase her trick in a brief video.
The travel content creator now possesses dual citizenship, and always keeps her native Romanian passport to hand as well. While navigating security at an airport, Selen posted footage with the caption: “When the immigration line is too long so I have to pull out the stronger passport.” Brandishing her blue British passport, she swiftly moved it aside to display her maroon Romanian one beneath.
During Britain’s membership of the European Union, UK nationals enjoyed the freedom to visit, reside, work, or study in member states without requiring a visa. However, this privilege ceased when the Brexit transition period concluded on December 31, 2020.
Consequently, British passport holders can no longer access the – typically faster – EU citizen border control lanes at airports.
“British citizens also usually need to have their passport stamped upon entry/exit to the EU unless they are family members of EU citizens and resident in the EU,” the Government clarifies online.
Writing in response to Selen, one TikTok user remarked: “Got my British kid a Romanian passport and now she’s my fast track pass through EU airports haha. My missus is Romanian.”
Another person recounted a similar scenario, saying: “All my UK boys had to wait 15 minutes in a queue at Amsterdam Airport. I skipped all that with my Romanian passport.”
A third commenter argued: “Romania passport is just stronger than UK when entering Schengen and EU. But UK has more access than Romania worldwide.”
While a fourth TikTok user pointed out to Selen: “Travel to USA with Romanian passport and you’ll see the difference between British and Romanian. No offence intended.”
The Henley Passport Index evaluates the world’s passports based on how many destinations holders can enter without needing to obtain a visa beforehand.
“The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the largest, most accurate travel information database – and enhanced by Henley & Partners’ research team,” Henley & Partners clarify.
Covering 199 passports and 227 travel destinations, the index receives monthly updates. Based on Henley & Partners’ figures, Singapore claims the top spot with the “strongest” passport, granting visa-free entry to 192 countries.
Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates share second position with 187, while Sweden occupies third with 186.
Britain sits in joint sixth alongside Malaysia and Poland, offering access to 183 destinations – actually ranking higher than Romania, which shares 11th place with Bulgaria, at 177.