Alright, so, I gotta tell you about this wild ride I had trying to get a Bhutanese passport online. I’ve always been fascinated by Bhutan. It’s this tiny, beautiful country tucked away in the Himalayas, and I’ve been dreaming of visiting for years. But getting there isn’t the easiest thing, so I thought, “Why not try to get a Bhutanese passport? Maybe it’ll make things smoother.” Yeah, I know, it’s a bit out there, but I was determined.
First off, I hit up the internet, just browsing around to see what the deal was with Bhutanese passports. Learned that these passports are given to citizens of Bhutan for all the international travel stuff. The info was kind of vague, like “All Bhutanese citizens are eligible to apply for a passport”. I dug a bit more and found out that they have this online system, the G2C services, where you’re supposed to apply. It sounded simple enough, except I am not a Bhutanese citizen.
I went down this rabbit hole of forums and travel sites, trying to piece together how a foreigner could get their hands on one. Most places said it’s pretty much impossible unless you’re actually a citizen. I also checked, for example, what Laos Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to say about Bhutanese passport, but found nothing.
I started looking into the whole visa situation. I saw that Bhutanese passport holders can travel to 13 countries and they enjoy freedom of movement in one country. Apparently, with a Bhutanese passport, you can go visa-free to like 16 countries, and need an eTA for two others. As a U.S. citizen, getting a visa to visit Bhutan isn’t a walk in the park either. You gotta go through a licensed Bhutanese tour operator and pay a daily fee. It’s all very regulated.
Then, I thought, “Maybe I can just apply for a regular passport online and somehow finagle it to look Bhutanese?” Bad idea. I checked out the process for getting a new passport in the U.S., and it’s all tied to the United States Postal Service. They have an online appointment scheduler, but it’s strictly for U.S. passports.
After a few weeks of this, I had to face the music. Getting a Bhutanese passport online, especially as a non-citizen, is just not gonna happen. It’s not like ordering something off Amazon. It’s a whole different ball game with government rules and international laws.
So, yeah, my grand plan to become an honorary Bhutanese citizen didn’t pan out. But hey, I learned a ton about passports, visas, and the unique way Bhutan handles tourism. I’m still gonna visit Bhutan someday, just gotta do it the old-fashioned way—with a regular visa. And you know what? That’s totally fine. The adventure is still out there, waiting for me.
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