The UAE has mas made it to the Top 10 Most Powerful Passports in the World, according to the Henley Passport Index released on Tuesday
The country ranks in 9th place with visa-free score of 185 countries and territories.
The UAE has climbed a remarkable 53 places in the ranking from 62nd to current 9th position, after adding 152 destinations since the index’s inception in 2006.
The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (Iata) – the largest travel information database processed by Henley and Partners’ research team.
Dr Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley and Partners, said the UAE’s “meteoric ascent is the result of deliberate and concerted efforts by the Emirati government to position the UAE as a global hub for business, tourism, and investment”.
He added: “Our research has consistently shown a strong correlation between a country’s visa-free score and its economic prosperity. Nations with higher visa-free scores tend to enjoy greater GDP per capita, increased foreign direct investment, and more robust international trade relationships.”
Who owns the top spot?
Singapore is the solo topper after it reclaimed its title as the “world’s most powerful passport” in the latest ranking, with its citizens now enjoying access to 195 travel destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free.
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain drop to joint-2nd place, with each country having visa-free access to 192 destinations.
The pack is crowded in the third spot, with seven countries enjoying access to 191 destinations without a prior visa. These are Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden.
The UK, Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland are all in fourth place with visa-free destination score of 190.
Australia and Portugal are jointly in 5th place with access to 189 destinations.
How passports are ranked
Henley Passport Index compares the visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations. If no visa is required, then a score with value = 1 is created for that passport.
The same applies for visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority when entering the destination.
Where a visa is required, or where a passport holder has to obtain a government-approved electronic visa (e-Visa) before departure, a score with value = 0 is assigned. This also applies if you need pre-departure government approval for a visa on arrival. The total score for each passport is equal to the number of destinations for which no visa is required (value = 1).
Megan Anderson, for ICN dot live