This is an awesome phrase in spoken English. If there is a lot of “red tape” it means there is a lot of annoying rules or “paperwork” to do. When governments have a lot of rules and regulations, we say there is a lot of “red tape“. The government always wants to make things safe for people, but sometimes in the process of trying to make things safe and fair, they simply make too many rules
and it’s hard to get anything done. One example: I wanted to start my own business last year, but I didn’t because there was just too much red tape. I think our country’s economy would be a lot better if there wasn’t so much red tape every time someone wanted to start a business. Another example: It is possible for you to move to the USA, get an American passport, and become a real American citizen, but the process takes a long time and there is a lot of red tape.