Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, May 31, 2025

The world's most powerful passports 2021 – ranked

The world's most powerful passports 2021 – ranked

Being able to move easily around the world has been on hold, but when things start to change, who will have the most visa-free travel options?

Japanese passports are currently the most powerful in the world.

That’s according to the migration and citizenship consultancy, Henley & Partners, which compiles a list of the world’s most potent passports four times a year – and the ones that allow holders to travel widely and visa-free come out on top.

With a total of 193 potential visa-free destinations, Japanese passports are ranked the highest. Just one point behind is Singapore, with Germany and South Korea tied at third place.

At the other end of the ranking, the countries with the lowest visa-free travel capability are Yemen, Pakistan, Syria and Iraq. At the bottom of the list, Afghanistan allows visa-free travel to 26 countries, compared with Japan’s 193.

The Henley Passport Index is based on a comparison of 199 different passports’ access rights to 227 travel destinations with or without an additional visa. For each destination where no visa is required, where a visa, visitor’s permit, or electronic travel authority (ETA) can be obtained on arrival, a nation’s passport earns one point.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of Finland, Spain, Luxembourg, Denmark and Austria.

The top five for Q2 2021


The report comes as the travel industry grapples with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. And the outlook remains uncertain as the potential for new variants of the virus causes governments to curtail or suspend travel to help stop the spread.

Vaccine programmes being rolled out in some parts of the world offer some hope, with many looking forward to the prospect of international travel again.

Another possible consequence is a rise in the number of economic migrants in the post-pandemic period, as changing office patterns free people to work from different locations.

Henley & Partners refers to them as visa nomads: typically, professionals whose employers are adopting more flexible approaches to employment.

Several countries are hoping to tap into this potential talent pool by creating easy-access visa arrangements and visa waiver programmes. In the report accompanying the passport index, Greg Lindsay, director of applied research at NewCities, a nonprofit that works in the field of sustainable urban development, writes: “2021 will be the year savvy governments begin to harness post-pandemic migration opportunities as the driving force for economic recovery and development.”

Attracting new citizens


In Finland, the Helsinki Business Hub has created a ‘90 Day Finn’ program, to attract investors and tech nomads. The programme fast tracks the process of being able to settle in the country and offers additional benefits including access to housing and childcare, earning itself the nickname city-as-a-service.

Portugal’s Startup Madeira, backed by the government, has launched an initiative called Nomad Village, aimed at a similar demographic.

Fancy Barbados? It’s Welcome Stamp allows international visitors to live and work on the island for up to a year and costs $2,000.

Taiwan has a similar scheme in operation – its Gold Card is a combined work and residence permit that allows recipients to leave and re-enter the island.

Several countries have also become popular destinations for people looking to acquire new citizenship status via inward investment. According to Henley & Partners, more than 100 countries operate such schemes, “including 60% of EU member states.”

Favoured destinations to acquire citizenship, showing their passport-power ranking


The cost of such citizenship programmes varies considerably around the world. Austria, for example, requires a minimum investment of approximately $3.6 million. If the Caribbean is more to your liking, however, a number of options are available starting at $100,000.

Comments

300RCC 4 year ago
From fist to last... https://www.passportindex.org/byRank.php

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Spewing Ash Cloud over Flores Island
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
×