Top 5 countries which have the best and most powerful passports in the world

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the best and world’s number one passport to have in terms of mobility and freedom from travel restrictions, according to the most recent edition of the Passport Index, a global ranking produced by Montreal-based citizenship financial advisory firm Arton Capital.

In the most recent ranking, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a small, oil-rich Gulf sheikhdom of about 10 million people, has topped Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Luxembourg, all of which are in the top five. About 90% of those people are foreign ex-pats.

Basically, if you have an Emirati passport, you can travel to a lot of countries without a visa, and in many of them, you can get a visa when you get there. In addition to obtaining a visa upon arrival in 59 states, holders of Emirati passports can enter 121 countries without requiring a visa. They only require a visa for 19 countries, allowing them to travel to 91 percent of the world’s nations without first applying for a visa.

That contrasts with the United States, which has a passport that permits visa-free travel to 109 countries and visa-on-arrival travel to 56, while Americans must apply for visas to enter 26 countries. The “world reach” of the United Arab Emirates passport is 91%, while that of the United States passport is 83%.

With a “mobility score” of 180, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tops the list as a business and travel hub with the most multinational company headquarters of any Middle Eastern nation. According to the report, the methodology used to calculate that score considers visa-free and visa-on-arrival privileges in other nations. Additionally, “the higher the mobility score, the better global mobility its passport bearer enjoys” are factors.

According to Armand Arton, president and CEO of Arton Capital, “What sets the UAE passport apart, in particular, is its ability for holders to enter countries with a visa on arrival.”

“Whilst the passport’s power to enter countries visa-free is comparable to its competitors, those with a UAE passport can enter 13 more countries with a visa on arrival than those with a German passport, the second-ranked passport.”

In recent years, the United Arab Emirates has benefited from a number of reforms that have increased the number of people living there, such as normalizing relations with Israel and introducing a visa for remote workers. Its leaders have made significant investments and trade agreements with a number of different nations, as well as reopened or enhanced diplomatic ties.

According to Arton, the differences in governments in EU nations contributed to the rapid implementation of many mobility reforms.

“The European Union controls the most power to change the global mobility rankings as it represents all members states,” he said. “As a result, a new visa waiver agreement with Europe can instantly boost a country’s ranking. This, however, is a double-edged sword, as the EU is a heavy machine that requires consensus from all member states before acting. ”

Arton continued, “Therefore, it cannot act as swiftly and decisively as the UAE has done and continues to do.”

Unlike many Western governments, the United Arab Emirates has not cut travel ties with Russia and Belarus because of the war in Ukraine. This makes it a very popular destination for people from those countries, especially those trying to avoid sanctions. A property boom has resulted from the influx of people, particularly in Dubai, the glitzy commercial and tourism capital of the United Arab Emirates.

InterNations, a networking platform, recently named Dubai as one of the world’s top five cities for ex-pats to live. In most cases, countries reciprocate by making it easier for more nationalities to enter.

Taufiq Rahim, a research fellow at the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government in Dubai, stated, “The UAE has emerged as a unique crossroads. It is between East and West, advanced economies and developing ones, and open to all. It is hard for any country to compete with this diversity of access and thus no surprise that it would top any passport index.”

The UAE passport has been crucial to the expansion and innovation of Khalifa BinHendi’s Dubai-based Emirati business and public figure.

“As businessmen, having the strongest passport on the global stage unlocks vast opportunities and creates a culture of speed,” BinHendi said. “Speed is everything in business, the faster you are the better the results. We can travel from London to Tokyo over a course of 24 hours which gives us a unique position and sharpens our competitive edge in running our business ventures and franchises.”

He continued, “This makes us beyond proud of our nation. It motivates us all to be better citizens and contribute to the betterment of the UAE economy and society.”

According to reports in the local media, there are approximately 1.5 million Emirati passport holders. Due to its extremely low crime rate, the United Arab Emirates is frequently ranked among the world’s safest nations.

According to a statement released by Arton Capital, “Europe remains a particularly strong cohort, yet the rise of passports from the Gulf states is undeniable.” “How some passports are stagnating, such as the UK’s as a result of domestic political choices” was added to the findings.

According to the report, countries have actually become more welcoming overall, and global mobility has increased, despite the fact that a war has broken out in Europe and the Covid-19 pandemic has prevented people from traveling. This has progressed as a result of shifting work structures, including the rise of remote work.

Arton Capital wrote that “many are considering swapping the commute to the office for life as a “digital nomad”. ” The investment such workers bring into host countries is highly attractive to many states. Consequently, the world has seen a surge in the implementation of ‘digital nomad’ visas in countries around the globe, from Thailand to Estonia.”

The company wrote, “Though the world continues to feel the aftershocks of the pandemic, surprisingly, traveling has never been easier, with steady growth in passport power across the board, a trend that we predict will continue into 2023.” It added that, in accordance with its methodology, nearly every passport in the world has become more powerful in terms of its mobility.

Which countries have the most powerful passports 2022?

There is still a significant “mobility gap” between passport holders despite the overall growth.

A traveler can effortlessly pass through security with the right documents. However, doors are closed to those with less powerful passports.

According to the index, European nations issue nine of the ten strongest passports.

1. United Arab Emirates

Visa-free: 121
Visa on arrival: 59

2. Germany

Visa-free: 127
Visa on arrival: 46

3. Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy

Visa-free: 126
Visa on arrival: 47

4. Netherlands

Visa-free: 125
Visa on arrival: 48

5. Switzerland

Visa-free: 123
Visa on arrival: 50

Which passports are less powerful?

The United Kingdom (UK) is listed as one of the “losers” in 2022, according to the index.

Although the UK’s global mobility score has increased, the country’s inability to reach visa agreements with EU members after Brexit has slowed this upward trend.

However, visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 171 nations remains available to the UK.

The worst scores were for Afghanistan (38), Syria (39), Iraq (40), Pakistan (44), and Somalia (44).