Expat tales: A SA passport is far less of a problem than most people think
A South African residing in the United States believes that the SA passport is far less of a problem than most people think …
A South African expat, born in KwaZulu-Natal and now residing in Texas in the United States, believes that the South African passport is far less of a problem than most people think …
Dom Pitot took to LinkedIn on Tuesday to detail his personal experiences in travelling the world using a ‘Green Mamba’.
Pitot grew up in a “lower-middle class family in Pietermaritzburg” and only travelled locally as a family.
Since graduating, Pitot counted 49 visas received in seven passports, and has lived and worked in the UK, Germany, China and Brazil – all on a South African passport.
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Pitot reminded his followers that while some South Africans obsess about qualifying for a passport for countries like the United States, European Union, UK and Australia, there are around six billion people holding passports which rank lower than the Green Mamba in the world’s passport pecking order.
Pitot raised a valid point, saying that it’s not the passport that matters at the end of the day, but rather that the best guarantee of global mobility is being valuable in a global context.
“If your skills are valued in other countries, you will get the work visas needed. But most important is … attitude,” Pitot wrote.
“If you give 10x value on top of whatever you receive, others will go out of their way to work with you. They will help you solve the challenges to global mobility.
“BUT, if your attitude is one of entitlement, you will find it so much harder,” he added.
Pitot offered some saga advice in concluding, saying that holding a South African passport is far less of a problem than most people think.
“Your ‘passport’ to the world starts with your attitude and depends on your dedication to offer valuable skills.”
Have you struggled to travel or lost out on a job due to holding a South African passport?
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