Japanese passport holders top the list with visa-free travel to a record 189 destinations. Singapore is tied with Germany in second place as the passports of both countries allow visa-free travel to 188 destinations.
Japan has overtaken forerunner Singapore for the top spot for the world’s most powerful passport, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.
Japanese passport holders top the list with visa-free travel to a record 189 destinations. Singapore is tied with Germany in second place as the passports of both countries allow visa-free travel to 188 destinations.
Third place is shared by six countries: one Asian (South Korea) and the rest European (Finland, France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden). The US and the UK are tied in fourth place, along with Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal.
Hong Kong’s passport is in 16th place, allowing visa-free travel to 169 countries.
China has significantly strengthened its position on the ranking, climbing from 74th to 68th position since Q1 after having gained access to the UAE, Oman, and Bosnia and Herzegovina this year. Yet, the country’s relatively low score of 70 visa-free destinations means it is still near the bottom of the North Asian regional ranking.
The fastest overall climber is the UAE, in 23rd place. It has ascended 38 places since 2008 and secured more new visa-waivers for its citizens in 2018 than any other jurisdiction in the world. The UAE is quickly closing in on the lead that Israel, in 19th place, has historically held within the Middle East region.
Russia, which is usually off-limits to nationals of most countries, announced in April that visas would be waived for all travellers holding tickets to the FIFA World Cup. Nonetheless, the country has fallen from 45th to 47th position on the Henley Passport Index compared to Q1, thus far unable to catch up to regional leaders Ukraine and Moldova.
The Henley Passport Index, which is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has recently been updated through extensive research to include eight new travel destinations.
It surveys a total of 199 different passports against 227 different travel destinations, including countries, territories, and micro-states.