UAE passport ranked among world's most powerful

It has a visa-free score of 185 countries and territories

Angel Tesorero

Published: Tue 23 Jul 2024, 1:03 PM

Last updated: Tue 23 Jul 2024, 9:48 PM

The UAE has mas made it to the Top 10 Most Powerful Passports in the World, according to the Henley Passport Index released on Tuesday

The country ranks in 9th place with visa-free score of 185 countries and territories.

The UAE has climbed a remarkable 53 places in the ranking from 62nd to current 9th position, after adding 152 destinations since the index’s inception in 2006.

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The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (Iata) – the largest travel information database processed by Henley and Partners’ research team.

Dr Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley and Partners, said the UAE’s “meteoric ascent is the result of deliberate and concerted efforts by the Emirati government to position the UAE as a global hub for business, tourism, and investment".

He added: “Our research has consistently shown a strong correlation between a country’s visa-free score and its economic prosperity. Nations with higher visa-free scores tend to enjoy greater GDP per capita, increased foreign direct investment, and more robust international trade relationships.”

Who owns the top spot?

Singapore is the solo topper after it reclaimed its title as the “world’s most powerful passport” in the latest ranking, with its citizens now enjoying access to 195 travel destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free.

France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain drop to joint-2nd place, with each country having visa-free access to 192 destinations.

The pack is crowded in the third spot, with seven countries enjoying access to 191 destinations without a prior visa. These are Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden.

The UK, Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland are all in fourth place with visa-free destination score of 190.

Australia and Portugal are jointly in 5th place with access to 189 destinations.

Rounding up Top 10

Greece and Poland are in the 6th spot with a score of 188; followed in 7th place by Canada, Czechia, Hungary, and Malta with access to 187 countries and territories.

The US, meanwhile, continues its now decade-long slide down the index, dropping down to 8th spot, with visa-free access to 186 destinations. Former passport powerhouses, UK and US jointly held first place on the index 10 years ago in 2014.

It’s a triple tie in 9th place. Aside from the UAE, citizens of Estonia and Lithuania can also go visa-free to 185 destinations.

Four countries hold the 10th spot with a score of 184. These are Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Completing the top 10 spot are Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, and Slovenia with a score of 184.

The Henley Passport Index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. Complete rankings are available on its website.

How passports are ranked

Henley Passport Index compares the visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations. If no visa is required, then a score with value = 1 is created for that passport.

The same applies for visa on arrival (VOA), a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination.

Where a visa is required, or where a passport holder has to obtain a government-approved electronic visa (e-Visa) before departure, a score with value = 0 is assigned. This also applies if you need pre-departure government approval for a visa on arrival. The total score for each passport is equal to the number of destinations for which no visa is required (value = 1).

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