Feature
Meet the three persons who travel without passports
While millions of travellers queue at passport offices and check their documents before boarding a flight, three members of royal families are widely reported to travel abroad without carrying passports. They are King Charles III of the United Kingdom, Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. For most people, an international trip comes with a checklist: […]
manuel ·Nov 6, 2026 ·4 min read
While millions of travellers queue at passport offices and check their documents before boarding a flight, three members of royal families are widely reported to travel abroad without carrying passports. They are King Charles III of the United Kingdom, Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.
For most people, an international trip comes with a checklist: book a flight, pack your bags, check your visa and, most importantly, make sure your passport is valid.
Forget your passport, and you could be denied boarding before your holiday even begins.
But the rules are different for some of the world’s most prominent royals. King Charles III, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are commonly named as the three royals who can travel internationally without passports. Their exemptions, however, are based on different arrangements.
1. King Charles III: The man whose name appears on British passports
King Charles III does not need a British passport when travelling overseas. The reason is unusual: British passports are issued in the name of the reigning monarch.
The first page of a British passport contains a formal request made in the King’s name, asking foreign authorities to allow the passport holder to travel freely and provide assistance and protection when necessary.
In effect, the King is the person in whose name the document is issued.
According to the official British Royal Family website, the sovereign does not require a passport when travelling abroad. The arrangement also applied to Queen Elizabeth II during her reign.
This exemption does not extend to the rest of the royal family. Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and other members of the family need passports for international travel.
So, while the King can leave his passport out of his travel bag, his royal relatives cannot assume the same privilege.
2. Emperor Naruhito of Japan
Japan’s Emperor Naruhito is also reported to travel abroad without a passport.
Naruhito became emperor on May 1, 2019, succeeding his father, Emperor Emeritus Akihito. As Japan’s emperor, he occupies a unique constitutional and ceremonial position in the country.
Reports on the passport exemption trace the practice to a decision by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1971, when issuing passports to the emperor and empress was considered inappropriate.
Instead of relying on ordinary passport arrangements, their official overseas visits are handled through diplomatic coordination between Japan and the countries they visit.
This does not mean the emperor can simply arrive in any country without prior arrangements. Official visits still involve coordination between governments and the relevant authorities.
3. Empress Masako of Japan
Empress Masako, the wife of Emperor Naruhito, is the third person commonly included on the list.
Before joining the imperial family, Masako worked at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and studied at Harvard University and the University of Oxford, according to Japan’s Imperial Household Agency. She married Naruhito in 1993, when he was still crown prince.
Like her husband, she is reported not to require a passport for official overseas travel. The arrangement is linked to the special status of Japan’s imperial couple and the diplomatic procedures used for their visits abroad.
The exemption is specific to the emperor and empress. It should not be taken to mean that every member of Japan’s imperial family can travel without a passport.
What about other royals and world leaders?
Being royal does not automatically remove the need for a passport.
In the United Kingdom, the exemption applies to the reigning sovereign. Other members of the royal family, including Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, require passports when travelling overseas.
Heads of state and senior government officials in other countries may travel using diplomatic passports or other official travel documents. These documents are different from an exemption from holding a passport.
Diplomatic status can also affect visa requirements and the arrangements made for an official visit, but it does not automatically mean that a traveller can go abroad without travel documents.
Does travelling without a passport mean they can enter any country?
No.
Not carrying a passport does not automatically give someone unrestricted entry into every country. Governments retain control over their borders, and official visits may require advance diplomatic arrangements and other checks.
