Entrepreneur and author Arun Chandran has spoken about the difference between travelling on an Indian passport and an Australian passport, describing the experience as a stark example of “passport privilege”. Chandran, who travelled to around 39 countries on his Indian passport before becoming an Australian citizen in 2019, recalled the paperwork and uncertainty involved in obtaining visas as an Indian.
‘The mountain of documents’
In an Instagram video, Chandran said he had travelled extensively on his Indian passport and remembered the difficulties involved in applying for visas, particularly for Europe.
“Let's talk about passport privilege. Until 2019, I was having an Indian passport. I have actually travelled to about 39 countries on an Indian passport. I do remember applying for visas, the mountain of documents that you need,” said the founder of Explore Melbourne and Aurora Australis Community.
Chandran recalled applying for a Schengen visa while he was in Melbourne as an Indian citizen. He said he was granted a visa for only 12 days, despite having to make the long journey from Australia to Europe.
(Also read: Indian creator reveals 3 reasons why her Schengen visa was rejected: ‘Don’t make these mistakes’)
{{/usCountry}}(Also read: Indian creator reveals 3 reasons why her Schengen visa was rejected: ‘Don’t make these mistakes’)
{{/usCountry}}“The first time I applied to Schengen visa, I got a visa for 12 days. 12! It took me about a day to fly from Melbourne all the way to Europe, and a day to come back, and I spent about 10 days there,” he said.
He also pointed out that people holding passports from countries such as Australia, the US and the UK may not be familiar with the difficulties faced by travellers from countries with weaker visa access.
“A lot of people with passports from Australia, US, UK, they probably don't even know how hard it is to get certain visas,” Chandran said.
‘Most of the world opened up’
Chandran said his travel experience changed significantly after he switched to an Australian passport in 2019. He recalled returning to Italy and being able to enter without applying for a visa in advance.
“Now, on my Australian passport, most of the world opened up. I went back to Italy. This time I got a visa free for 90 days,” he said.
Describing his arrival at an Italian airport, Chandran said he did not have to go through an interview or lengthy immigration process.
“The best part was I just strolled in, there was no interview, I could just use an E-gate, and yeah, just straight to baggage collection,” he said.
In the caption accompanying the video, Chandran elaborated on the contrast, recalling how he had previously submitted extensive documentation for his Schengen visa. He wrote that the process involved “bank statements, payslips, a paid itinerary, insurance, a letter explaining myself, proof I had a reason to come home”.
He also highlighted the difference between the two experiences by writing, “Same person. Same face at the same border. The only thing that changed was the little booklet in my hand.”
Chandran on ‘inequality of movement’
Chandran referred to passport rankings by Henley & Partners, which rank passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without obtaining a visa in advance. He said Singapore ranks at the top, while Australia also offers access to a large number of destinations. He contrasted this with India's position.
“182 versus 55. That's not a small gap in convenience. That's two different relationships with the planet, decided entirely by the country you happened to be born in,” the India-born Australian wrote in the caption.
“We talk a lot about inequality of wealth. We talk far less about inequality of movement, even though you did nothing to earn your side of it,” he wrote.