Passport query relating to Top Gear "Nativity" episode

[SurreyGuy]

Firstly, what a BRILLIANT episode this was!

However, one thing that was mentioned more than once (but not explained) was that each of the guys had two passports.

Can anyone tell me why that was, please?

[naomi24]

AIBags, I've figured. English passports don't exist.

[DTCwordfan]

Lol - so true - not yet!!!

[AlBags]

LOL Naomi : ) But that's not the answer .. but a clever one : )

Two standard GB passports ... like the one you probably have.
Gotta go now .. will check tomoz to see if you know ; )
Al.

[sandyRoe]

Give the Celtic fringe a wee bit of devolution and they'll soon be wanting their own passports.

[237SJ]

DT have just read the whole thread. Do you mean if you want to go into Israel you can`t have a muslim country stamp on your passport? I`ve got loads of Middle East stamps in my passport and I`ve never had a problem going into Tel Aviv. They`ve never been interested. They never stamp my passport there either so it never shows that I`ve been to Isreal

[DTCwordfan]

Unfortunately, Sandy, I think that this may be a true read of the near future........

[naomi24]

AIBags, As I said, some people do have two passports - and I'm talking about standard British passports - and I speak from experience. What else is there to say?

[sandyRoe]

I believe you can get one with a lot more pages in it. A journalist might use one, for example.

[237SJ]

AlBags, I have two UK passports. Quite common actually.

[DTCwordfan]

Thanks for that 237SJ - I am glad that things have changed but it wasn't that long ago when Saudi and the Trucial States et al would have got seriously upset to the point of refusal when you went for a visa at the Embassy, never mind trying to get across the frontiers.

[sandyRoe]

Would the land of the free let you in if your passport showed you'd been in Cuba?

[naomi24]

237SJ, it's more likely to cause problems the other way around. For example, you can't enter Sudan with an Israeli stamp in your passport.

[DTCwordfan]

Two passports are pretty common - just to manage travelling and you happen to have your other doing its turns around Embassies and Consulates for the next trip on.

The most I have ever seen in hand was six passports of different nationalities held by a Lebanese - they included an Irish, Danish and Dutch passports!

[naomi24]

Yes, Sandy, they would.

[237SJ]

In my experience Isreal never stamps the passport because they know the problems it causes. Not all countries stamp passports these days. Sometimes I actually ask for a stamp because it`s a nice thing to have as a souvenir (how sad am I)? :-)

[naomi24]

They stamp mine.

[sandyRoe]

Imagine Clarkson's passport being copied by Mossad and used during their next assassination.

[237SJ]

One of my colleagues met the Top Gear team at work recently. I`ve always thought that James May is quite attractive in a strange way. Apparently he was a miserable git. He wouldn`t even look at her, let alone speak.

[Buenchico]

As 237SJ states, Israeli border staff now either don't stamp passports or else stamp a separate entry document. However, when travelling by land, staff on the other side of the border crossings often do stamp passports and it's those stamps which can cause problems with entering certain other countries (because they indirectly show that the passport holder has visited Israel).

Chris

[naomi24]

Sandy, my passport was stolen in Rome. I often wonder who has my identity now. :o(