CLAIM: Zimbabwean passports are the most expensive in the whole world
SOURCE: Account on X
VERDICT: False
Fancy a trip across borders? All good if you have a passport. The process of applying for a passport differs from country to country, as, of course, does the cost.
The cost of the Zimbabwean passport has been a cause for debate over the years, here and here.
Recently, @joseph_kalimbwe posted on X, on the different costs of passports in Southern Africa. Kalimbwe has 210,000 followers on his account, and this particular post had 179,000 views at the time of this fact check.
In response, another account claimed that ‘Zimbabwean passports are the most expensive in the whole world’.
But is that true?
The Zimbabwe ordinary passport costs $150. With the bank processing fee of $20, the full amount becomes $170. The passport is processed within 3 – 10 days and is valid for ten years.
On offer is also the emergency passport. This costs $250, totalling $270 with the bank charge. These fees were announced in the Citizenship (Passport Fees) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 1).
Before this announcement, passport fees ranged from $50 for the ordinary one to $315 for the executive one.
In comparison, the South African ordinary passport costs $33 (R600).
However, the Zimbabwean passport is not the most expensive in the world as claimed.
The Australian passport costs a minimum $268 (AU$398).
However, the fee itself is not the whole story. It is the cost of the passport in relation to the minimum wage of workers that makes some passports more expensive than they seem.
For instance, in Tanzania where a passport costs $57, it would take 377 hours, nearly 10 working weeks, to make enough money to purchase a passport. While in Germany, it takes only 5 hours of work at minimum wage to secure the document.
Why Are Passports So Expensive?
The cost of passports can be attributed to several factors:
Production and Technology: Advanced security features, such as biometric chips and holograms, increase production costs.
Administrative Fees: Processing and administrative fees contribute significantly to the overall cost.
Economic Factors: The economic environment and currency strength also play critical roles in determining passport prices.
Cost vs Power
Passports are not created – or printed – equal. While some passports open doors to numerous countries, others offer limited travel freedom.
The Henley Passport Index is a ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA.
The least powerful passports in the Henley Passport Index 2024 have the least travel freedom. Holders of these passports have to go through the process of obtaining a visa before travelling to most countries.
According to this index, Zimbabwe is ranked 73, with visa free access to 64 countries.
Conclusion
The claim that ‘Zimbabwean passports are the most expensive in the whole world’ is rated as false. The most expensive passport is the Australian one. Saint Kitts and Nevis, Mauritania, Liechtenstein, Turkey and Mexico make up the top 5. However, expense does not equate to value. The top 5 valuable passports are the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Spain, Poland and South Korea.
