LONDON, 28 March 2019: Japan, Singapore, and South Korea now hold joint top spot on the Henley Passport Index.
They all have a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 189, which is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Following a visa-exemption from Uzbekistan, Germany currently sits alone in second place, with a score of 188.
Five countries share the third spot on the index with a score of 187. They are Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, and Sweden.
The UK and the US look increasingly unlikely to regain the top spot they jointly held in 2015, with the UK now siting in fifth place with a visa-free/visa on arrival score of 185, and the US in sixth with a score of 184.
Afghanistan and Iraq remain at the bottom of the ranking with a score of just 30, a position one or both countries have occupied throughout the index’s 14-year history.
But some countries such as UAE, Albania, and China have climbed up the ranking
The UAE continues its upward trajectory and is now just one spot away from entry into the index’s top 20.
After the recent formalisation of a mutual visa-waiver agreement signed with Russia, UAE passport holders are now able to access 165 destinations around the world without a prior visa.
This current score marks an extraordinary ascent from the position the UAE held a decade ago, when the country shared the 61st place with Thailand and Zimbabwe and had a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of just 52.
The UAE’s ascent is one of many success stories on the Henley Passport Index. Albania, for instance, has moved up 28 places on the index over the past ten years, with citizens of this once closed-off nation now able to access 116 destinations without a prior visa.
China’s ascent is less dramatic, but it is a change that experts believe to be far more significant from a geopolitical point of view. The country now sits in 67th spot, having moved up 12 places since 2009.
The steady rise of China through its visa-waiver agreements shows how incremental and reciprocal measures can lead to significant progress in trust and recognition.
Brexit Effect
While growing passport strength seems inevitable for some countries, uncertainty abounds for others, as protracted Brexit negotiations continue.
Last Thursday, EU leaders agreed to a request to delay the Brexit process, with a new conditional deadline set for mid-April. Although the outcome remains unknown, Prof Dr Florian Trauner, Research Professor at the Institute for European Studies at the Free University of Brussels, points out that the process has not yet affected the UK’s standing on the Henley Passport Index.
“Post-Brexit, it is likely that UK citizens will retain their (short-stay) visa free travel for the Schengen area. If the UK and EU manage to maintain a close political and trade relationship, the actual impact of Brexit on the travel freedom of British citizens may remain limited.
“However, the picture may change with regard to long-term mobility given that the free movement rights for UK citizens in the EU (and vice versa) will cease to apply.”
(Source: Henley & Partners)
