JapanÊhas consolidated its spot at the top of theÊHenley Passport Index, now offering its citizens visa-free access to a record total of 189 destinations.
Following closely behind areÊSingaporeÊandÊGermanyÊin joint second place. Third place is shared by six countries: one Asian (South Korea) and the rest European (Finland,ÊFrance,ÊItaly, SpainÊandÊSweden).
The UAE, now in 23rdÊplace having risen 38 places since 2008, remains the fastest overall climber on theÊHenley Passport IndexÊÑ the only index based on exclusive data from theÊInternational Air Transport AssociationÊ(IATA) which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information.
RussiaÊÑ which is usually off-limits to nationals of most countries Ñ announced in April that visas would be waived for all travellers holding tickets to the FIFA World Cup. Nonetheless, the country has fallen from 45thÊto 47thÊposition on theÊHenley Passport IndexÊcompared to Q1, thus far unable to catch up to regional leadersÊUkraineÊandÊMoldova.
The U.S. and the U.K. are tied in fourth place, along withÊLuxembourg, the NetherlandsÊandÊPortugal. The U.S. has climbed one place compared to Q1, while the U.K. has remained stable.
Having gained access to the UAE,ÊOman, andÊBosnia and HerzegovinaÊthis year,ÊChinaÊhas significantly strengthened its position on theÊranking, climbing from 74thÊto the 68thÊposition since Q1 Ñ although the country score of 70 visa-free destinations is still relatively low.
Dr Christian H. Klin, group chairman of Henley & Partners, says theÊindexÊis the most robust in the world, surveying a total of 199 different passports against 227 different travel destinations, including countries, territoriesÊand micro-states. “TheÊHenley Passport IndexÊis innovating the way we map and measure travel freedom, making it easier for individuals to understand where exactly they lie on the spectrum of global mobility.ÊInvestment migrationÊremains a critical mechanism for those with low-ranking passports or those in immigration-hostile zones.ÊCitizenship-by-investment programsÊallow financially independent individuals to make a substantial economic contribution to a particular country, in exchange for which they become a citizen and receive a passport.”
