The Henley Passport Index, which regularly measures the world’s most travel-friendly passports, has recently published its latest report, and an analysis of what could happen.
The index does not take into account temporary restrictions, so Japan is again at the top of the ranking, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 191 countries worldwide. It is followed by Singapore in second place (with a score of 190 countries) and South Korea tied with Germany in third place (with a score of 189). New Zealand ranks seventh, with visa-free access to 185 destinations, while Australia ranks eighth, with access to 184 destinations.
This dominance of APAC (Asia-Pacific) is a relatively new phenomenon in the 16-year history of the index.
On the other hand, the United States, the United Kingdom and the EU countries previously dominated the top of the list, however, as Henley & Partners reports in its statement, “experts suggest that the strong position of the APAC region will continue, since it includes some of the first countries to begin the process of recovery from the pandemic”.
Nevertheless, the number of coronavirus cases is increasing significantly in both the US and the UK. In addition, the UK is at the centre of a new, rapidly spreading variant. Therefore, while the UK and the US are ranked seventh on Henley’s list, the reality is that US citizens can currently travel to fewer than 75 destinations, while UK passport holders have access to fewer than 70.
For its part, the United Arab Emirates signed several mutually beneficial visa waiver agreements last year, including a landmark agreement negotiated by the United States that establishes formal ties with Israel and grants citizens of each country visa-free access to the other. The UAE ranks 16th, with visa-free / visa-on-arrival access to 173 destinations.
The most powerful passports to have in 2021 are:
- Japan (191 destinations)
- Singapore (190)
- South Korea, Germany (189)
- Italy, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg (188)Denmark, Austria (187)
- Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland (186)
- Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, New Zealand (185)
- Greece, Malta, Czech Republic, Australia (184)
- Canada (183)
- Hungary (181)
