Top 10 Countries with the Most Powerful Passport in the World

The United Arab Emirates now has the world’s most powerful passport.

With visa-free access to 160 destinations, the UAE tops Arton Capital’s Passport Index when current COVID-19 travel limitations are taken into account.

A United Arab Emirates passport is now the most powerful passport in the world, providing visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 160 countries due to coronavirus-related border closures.

According to Arton Capital’s Passport Index, which ranks the world’s passports in order of the number of destinations their holders can visit without getting a visa prior to arrival, this makes it the strongest in the world.

Unlike the Henley Passport Index, which had Japan and Singapore tied at the top of its 2022 rankings, Arton Capital’s Passport Index updates its ranks in real time when fresh visa waivers and modifications are made, demonstrating the present impact of COVID-19 travel limitations on global mobility.

The UAE has made a spectacular return in 2022 after falling down the standings in recent years. The relaxation of COVID-19 border controls is one factor, but the UAE also benefited from subsidies for lower-income countries’ pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai in exchange for visa-free accords.

With visa-free access to 153 destinations, Sweden, Finland, and Italy are tied for second position behind the UAE. With 152 destinations between them, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Switzerland, South Korea, and New Zealand tie for third position.

The United States ranks sixth on the list, with visa-free entry to 149 places, due to current COVID-19 travel limitations.

Afghanistan and Iraq are now ranked 89th in the world, with only 34 destinations accessible. Syria was only slightly higher on the list, with 35 sites to choose from.

According to Arton Capital’s Passport Index, the world’s strongest passports will be issued in 2022.

Here’s how to travel after taking into account COVID-19 regulations, here’s how 2022’s most powerful passports in the world rank:

1. United Arab Emirates (160 destinations)
2. Sweden, Finland, Italy (153 destinations)
3. Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Switzerland, South Korea, New Zealand (152 destinations)
4. Belgium, Portugal, Norway, Poland, Australia (151 destinations)
5. Malta, Czech Republic, Hungary, United Kingdom, Ireland (150 destinations)
6. Greece, Slovakia, United States (149 destinations)
7. Lithuania, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Canada (148 destinations)
8. Japan, Liechtenstein (147 destinations)
9. Singapore, Croatia (146 destinations)
10. Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria (145 destinations)

These rankings already demonstrate a considerable increase in global mobility. Only 112 places were visa-free in 2020 for the world’s most powerful passports.

That year, the top five countries were Belgium, Finland, Austria, Luxembourg, Spain, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.

When these temporary coronavirus-related travel limitations are lifted, the travel flexibility of many of these prominent passport holders changes dramatically.

Without taking COVID-19 travel limitations into account, the United States ranks sixth globally with access to 186 destinations, according to the Henley Passport Index, which was released on January 11, 2022.

2022 strongest passports in the world, per Henley Passport Index

Without COVID-19 travel restrictions in place, 2022’s most powerful passports in the world are:

1. Japan, Singapore (192 destinations)
2. Germany, South Korea (190 destinations)
3. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain (189 destinations)
4. Austria, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Sweden (188 destinations)
5. Ireland, Portugal (187 destinations)
6. Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States (186 destinations)
7. Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Greece, Malta (185 destinations)
8. Hungary, Poland (183 destinations)
9. Lithuania, Slovakia (182 destinations)
10. Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia (181 destinations)

The methodology

While Arton’s Passport Index considers passports from 193 UN member countries as well as six territories (ROC Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Kosovo, Palestinian Territory, and Vatican), it excludes territories annexed to other countries, such as French Polynesia and the British Virgin Islands, from its list of possible travel destinations for passport holders.

The Henley Passport Index ranks same 199 passports, but it also relates them to all 227 possible travel destinations around the world, although those areas don’t issue their own passports.

Keep in mind that Arton’s scores are more susceptible to change as COVID-19 travel constraints develop in 2022. To view the entire list of rankings, click here,henleypassportindex.com and passportindex.org.