WEBVTT - Why Do I Need A Passport To Travel?

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<v Speaker 1>Hi, I'm Lauren Volgebaum, host of the new House Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff from how Stuff Works. Hey everybody, this is

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff. I'm Christian Seger, and I just got back

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<v Speaker 1>from a vacation. Here's the thing, though, If I were

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<v Speaker 1>going out of the country, let's say, to sunny Bolivia,

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<v Speaker 1>my whole trip would have hinged on one vital thing,

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<v Speaker 1>my passport. But what is this thing exactly? Why do

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<v Speaker 1>I need it to travel? Well, the first question has

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<v Speaker 1>a pretty clear cut answer. A passport is a document

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<v Speaker 1>issued by a government that verifies your identity and gives

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<v Speaker 1>you the right to travel under its protection. The word

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<v Speaker 1>passport comes from passport of Middle French phrase from around

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<v Speaker 1>the fifteen hundreds. However, the idea of a passport is

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<v Speaker 1>positively ancient. You can find evidence of state sponsored travel

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<v Speaker 1>documents dating from as far back as four hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>fifty b c. And since that time these documents have

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<v Speaker 1>existed in one form or another, with varying degrees of success.

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<v Speaker 1>Since about the nineteen eighties, most passports have been regulated

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<v Speaker 1>by a department of the United Nations called the International

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<v Speaker 1>Civil Aviation Organization or I see A. Oh, so why

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<v Speaker 1>do you need one? Well, ultimately it goes down to

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<v Speaker 1>proof of nationality. For example, let's say I was caught

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<v Speaker 1>up in a vast conspiracy and I had to travel

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<v Speaker 1>to the Vatican. That happens, right anyhow, I'm flying into

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<v Speaker 1>Italy and I have to present some sort of proof

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<v Speaker 1>that I'm really coming from where I say I am

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<v Speaker 1>coming from. Otherwise, any old supervillain with a plausible Yankee

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<v Speaker 1>accent could stroll off their runway pretending to be an American. Right, So,

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<v Speaker 1>possessing a passport is like having your country of origin

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<v Speaker 1>vouched for you, assuring other nations that you are in

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<v Speaker 1>fact the person you say you are. Keep in mind, however,

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<v Speaker 1>that possession of a valid passport alone does not guarantee

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<v Speaker 1>your entrance. Countries allow visitors at their own discretion, which

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<v Speaker 1>means that in theory, they can refuse entry to pretty

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<v Speaker 1>much anyone at any time. So even if you have

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<v Speaker 1>a valid passport, make sure to check the entry policies

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<v Speaker 1>of the country you're visiting before you hop on that plane.

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<v Speaker 1>And not everyone's happy with the passport system. In the

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<v Speaker 1>Invention of the Passport, professor John Torpi argues that it

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<v Speaker 1>is inherently a monopoly of the state, meaning a private

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<v Speaker 1>company like say how Stuff Works, couldn't just slap my

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<v Speaker 1>mug in a little book and send me off to Japan.

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<v Speaker 1>Religious organizations can't do this either. Not only do countries

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<v Speaker 1>control the passport system, but the issuing country can revoke

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<v Speaker 1>your passport at any time. And of course, not everyone

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<v Speaker 1>has a passport either. Only about forty six percent of

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<v Speaker 1>Americans had either a passport or the less comprehensive passport card.

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<v Speaker 1>The percent who don't have one overwhelmingly didn't get it

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<v Speaker 1>because well, they just didn't want the thing. However, pe

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<v Speaker 1>can end up without a passport for numerous reasons. Perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>it's lost or stolen, in which case you'll need to

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<v Speaker 1>contact your local consulate. In cases of war torn countries,

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<v Speaker 1>refugees may not have a passport. Some people are even

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<v Speaker 1>considered stateless, meaning the country they live in does not

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<v Speaker 1>consider them a citizen. The United Nations has special laws

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<v Speaker 1>describing how to issue travel documents in these cases, So

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<v Speaker 1>there you have it. In theory, almost every single person

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<v Speaker 1>on the globe needs a passport or some sort of

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<v Speaker 1>official document to travel. This official document could be something

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<v Speaker 1>for an individual, or it could be an agreement between

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<v Speaker 1>specific countries. At one point or another, there's no other

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<v Speaker 1>way to legally travel. Virtually everyone needs something like this. Ah,

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<v Speaker 1>but did you notice how I just said almost every

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<v Speaker 1>person and virtually everyone. That's right, ladies and gentlemen. There

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<v Speaker 1>is one person in the world who can travel freely

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<v Speaker 1>and legally without a passport or other documents. The Queen

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<v Speaker 1>of England. True story. British passports are issued in the

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<v Speaker 1>name of the Queen. Therefore, it's not necessary for her

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<v Speaker 1>to have one. The rest of the family has to

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<v Speaker 1>have a passport, though even the Princes William and Harry.

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<v Speaker 1>Check out the brain Stuff channel on YouTube, and for

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