Germany and Spain Have Europe’s Most Powerful Passports

Germany’s passport has been moved from the second to third position in this index, which ranks worldwide countries’ passports in terms of the number of destinations their holders can access without being obliged to apply for a visa at first, taking into account the data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

While previously Germany was the only European country ranked in the second position in this index, now it shares third place with Spain, and both countries’ passports have visa-free and visa-on-arrival scores of 190, which means that citizens who hold both countries’ passports are eligible to travel to 190 countries worldwide without a visa at first, AtoZSerwisPlus.de reports.

The recent changes made in July in the list of the world’s best passports to show that the first place continues to be held by Japan, whose passport permits its holders to visit a total of 193 countries worldwide visa-free.

At the same time, the other two non-EU countries share the second position, Singapore and South Korea, while both countries’ passports have a visa-free and visa-on-arrival score of 192.

Singapore no longer holds the first position with Japan in terms of the world’s most powerful passports, it has been moved from the first to the second position, and now it shares the second place with South Korea.

European countries continue to be ranked in the first position in the Henley Passport Index.

The recent report shows that the fourth position is shared by three European countries, whose passports have a visa-free and visa-on-arrival score of 189;

• Finland
• Italy
• Luxembourg

Previously, the three countries mentioned above occupied third place; however, the recent changes show that they moved from the third to the fourth position.

The following four European countries have been ranked in the fifth position in this index, meaning that holders of these passports are eligible to travel visa-free to a total of 188 destinations;

• Austria
• Denmark
• Netherlands
• Sweden

At the same time, the index shows that the European countries France, Ireland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom share the sixth position, with visa-free and visa-on-arrival scores of 187.

Belgium, Norway, and Switzerland share the seventh position with non-European countries, New Zealand, and the United States, permitting their holders to visit 186 destinations without being required to apply for a visa at first.

In terms of the world’s most powerful passports, Greece, Malta, and the Czech Republic occupy the eighth place, while holders of these passports can travel visa-free to a total of 185 destinations.

In the ninth position in Hungary, with a visa-free and visa-on-arrival score of 183, while the tenth position is shared by Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia, permitting their passport holders to travel without a visa to a total of 182 destinations.

At the same time, the index reveals that several countries have a visa-free and visa-on-arrival score of 40 or even fewer countries, including the following ones.

• North Korea- 40 destinations
• Nepal, Palestinian territory- 38 destinations
• Somalia – 35 destinations
• Yemen – 34 destinations
• Pakistan – 32 destinations
• Syria – 30 destinations
• Iraq – 29 destinations
• Afghanistan – 27 destinations

The Henley Passport Index ranks 199 passports based on the number of destinations their holder can go without a visa.