← Know Your Rights
Employment
Passports and identity documents
Your passport belongs to you. Confiscation is one of the clearest warning signs of exploitation.
What it means
- In almost all circumstances, only you should hold your own passport and identity documents.
- Confiscating a worker's passport is widely recognized as a method of controlling and restricting a person's freedom of movement.
Warning signs
- An employer or recruiter asks to 'hold' your passport for 'safekeeping' or 'processing.'
- You are told you cannot have your passport back on request.
- You are asked to sign a document authorizing someone else to keep your passport.
What to do
- Keep your passport and identity documents in your own possession at all times.
- If a document must be submitted for an official process, ask for a receipt and a clear return date.
- Photograph and store copies of your passport and visa pages before you travel, and share copies with a trusted person at home.
Where to seek help
- Your embassy or consulate can assist with passport issues, including replacement if a document is withheld.
- A local anti-trafficking or migrant worker organization in the destination country.
This is general information, not country-specific legal advice. Local hotlines, embassy contacts, and vetted referral partners will appear here as SafePath expands into each region.