Singapore passport holders have visa-free access to 192 out of 227 global destinations. - PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE (Bloomberg/The Straits Times): Singapore has replaced Japan for having the world’s most powerful passport, allowing visa-free entry to 192 global destinations, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.
After five years at the top, Japan dropped to third place as the number of destinations its passport can access without a visa fell, according to the ranking published by London-based immigration consultancy Henley & Partners.
The US, which once topped the ranking nearly a decade ago, slid two places to eighth place. The UK, after a Brexit-induced slump, jumped two places to fourth, a position it last held in 2017.
Japan, now third, with visa-free access to 189 destinations around the world. It shares its position with Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden.
Italy, Germany and Spain are joint-second with visa-free access to 190 destinations, according to the list published by London-based immigration consultancy Henley & Partners.
At the bottom of the list is Afghanistan with easy access to 27 destinations. Yemen (99), Pakistan (100), Syria (101) and Iraq (102) round up the bottom five.
Singapore is a magnet for wealth, with a recent influx driven by a crackdown on private enterprise in China and fears over geopolitical tensions. But landing the privilege to use the city-state’s travel document isn’t easy.
The nation of 5.6 million granted citizenship to about 23,100 people last year, and authorities earlier this year ruled out doing so based on the net worth of individuals.
Henley’s ranking tracks data from the International Air Transport Association.
The methodology differs from other passport indexes like one published by financial advisory Arton Capital, which put the United Arab Emirates in pole position last year.
With historical data spanning 18 years, the Henley Passport Index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association. The index includes 199 different passports. - Bloomberg/The Straits Times
