Travel wherever you want – as long as you live in the right country.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was ranked as the most powerful passport for the fourth consecutive year. According to Arton Capital’s Global Passport Power Rank 2024,
This particular ranking is based on ease of access for passport holders – and according to statistics, Emiratis can easily cross most of the world’s borders.
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UAE citizens can visit 133 countries without a visa – and a further 47 with a quick and easy visa on arrival.
As of June 2024, the US State Department has recognized a total of 197 independent countries around the world.
The rest of the top 20 in the list are filled with European states.
Spain was named the second most powerful passport, slightly ahead of many continental counterparts.
Spanish citizens can visit 134 countries visa-free and 45 other countries with a visa on arrival.
Third place gets a little more crowded – occupied by 13 countries.
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Finland, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Portugal, Norway, Switzerland, Greece and Ireland all lead the rankings, with only a hair less reach than the Spaniards.
The United States and the United Kingdom did not fare well – citizens of both countries had to fill in far more paperwork than expected when traveling abroad.
In 2024, America fell from 27th to 38th. US citizens can travel to 123 countries without a visa and 50 countries on a visa-on-arrival basis. The country has not appeared in the top 20 of the survey since 2019.
According to experts, things may look very different in the coming years.
“Currently the weakest passport in the G7 group of countries, Trump’s incoming administration has every incentive to make the US passport great again,” said a spokesperson for Arton Capital. daily Mail – Condemning the “downgrade” of the “once great passport”.
Meanwhile, the UK dropped from 22nd to 32nd. UK passport holders are able to travel to 125 countries visa-free and 49 countries with an easy visa on arrival.
Based on publicly available sources and official information provided by government agencies, Arton Capital considers 193 UN members and 6 selected territories in its Passport Index rankings.
Although it is one of the most respected passport ranking and informational sites, the Arton Capital Global Passport Power Rank is not the only list of its kind.
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Earlier this year, henley passport index Singapore was given the title of most powerful passport in the world.
The United States fared much better on that list – slipping to 8th place.
