A travel vlogger known as On Road Indian on Instagram has stirred a viral discussion after sharing his frustrations about travelling abroad with an Indian passport. The video has garnered over 8 million views in just two days. He candidly talks about being denied entry to multiple countries despite having all the required documents and a strong travel history.
“This thing that I have, it has no value,” the vlogger asserts in the clip, gesturing towards his Indian passport. He believes that Indian passport holders are frequently discriminated against and suspected by authorities when arriving in several countries, particularly those with stricter visa laws.
“Don’t get happy thinking of Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka”
The blogger cautions fellow travelers not to get too comfortable with a couple of visa-free countries, declaring, “Don’t get happy thinking of Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka. Our passports are of no use in difficult countries.” He narrated his experience in Jordan, where he was supposedly denied entry just because of his passport.
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“‘Har jagah entry denied (entry denied everywhere). A lot of countries are dropping visa-free and visa-on-arrival facilities for us,” he said. “Abhi Jordan Indian passport dekh ke entry deny kar diya (Just right now in Jordan, they saw an Indian passport and denied entry). A country like Egypt wants an invitation letter,” he added.
“They never trust us”
The vlogger also talked about how Indian passport holders are treated abroad, especially in countries such as China. “Even in China, Indian passport holders are allowed a 24-hour visa-free transit, while citizens of other nations can get it for 10 days,” he added.
Even with financial security, valid documentation, and an excellent record of travel, he said that he still gets stopped at border crossings. “They are just fascinated by the names of Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. But when it comes to documents, they never trust us. I have money. I have all the documents. My travel history is great. And yet, when they see my passport, they check me. Sometimes they deny entry,” he asserted.
Mixed Responses on Social Media
His remarks evoked a combination of sympathy and backlash on social media. An Instagram user commented, “Bitter truth! Finally, someone who acknowledged the challenges Indian passport holders face with global mobility.”
Others attributed the conduct, though, to the actions of some Indian travelers. “It’s probably because how some of us Indians behave, been to one country and they hated Indians, and when I was returning back to India, I got to know why in the airport, the CHAOS and dadagiri omg so entitled for what idk,” one user said. Another stated, “We don’t deserve it because of our uncivilised behaviour.”
The Indian passport is ranked 85th according to global travel freedom by the Henley Passport Index 2025.
