The website “Passport Index” shows in the Global Passport Power Rank 2022 which passports are most useful when traveling. The German passport still ends up high in the ranking. Another country is now in first place.
German passport: The website “Passportindex”, which is operated by the consulting firm Arton Capital, regularly analyzes the visa regulations of countries. It then creates a ranking from the data. For the Global Passport Power Rank 2022, the company compared a total of 199 countries and territories to determine which passports have the most advantages and disadvantages when traveling. Passports that allow entry without a visa (visa exemption in the narrower sense), or which apply for and receive one directly upon arrival (visa exemption in the broader sense), receive one point for each country where this is possible.
Global Passport Power Rank: The “most powerful” passports in the world
▶ Surprisingly at number 1 of the most powerful passports: the United Arab Emirates. These include Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ra’s al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwain. Anyone who has a passport from one of these emirates can currently enter 159 countries without a visa or with “visa on arrival”. In the previous year’s ranking, the UAE did not even appear in the top ten.
Germany, Finland and Italy share second place. Holders of the German passport can enter 151 countries without a visa or with “visa on arrival”. This is 17 more countries than in the previous year. In 47 countries, German travelers currently have to apply for a visa in advance or cannot enter the country as a tourist at all.
▶ For comparison: Afghanistan and Iraq, at the bottom 91, enjoy visa-free status in just 34 countries around the world. The index did not take into account the restrictions imposed by the corona pandemic.
The ranking of the countries with the most useful passports in the world
Rank | Country / countries | Number of countries that can be visited without a visa |
---|---|---|
1. | United Arab Emirates | 159 |
2. | Germany, Finland, Italy | 151 |
3. | Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, South Korea, New Zealand | 150 |
4. | Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Australia | 149 |
5. | France, Czech Republic, Malta, Norway, Poland, Hungary, Ireland, USA | 148 |
6. | Greece, Slovakia, United Kingdom, Canada | 147 |
7. | Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland, Slovenia, Japan | 146 |
8. | Liechtenstein | 145 |
9. | Croatia, Singapore | 144 |
10. | Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bulgaria | 143 |
Henley Passport Index: German passport lost ranking
▶ In addition to the Global Passport Power Rank, the British consulting firm Henley & Partners also analyzes the freedom of travel offered by the various passports. There Germany ranks second in the current Passport Index together with South Korea. According to Henley & Partners, Germans can enter 190 countries without a visa. Japan and Singapore jointly occupy first place in this ranking. The differences result, among other things, from which territories are considered to be states.
2022 Henley Passport Ranking
Rank | Passport | Visa-free score |
1 | Japan, Singapore | 192 |
2 | Germany, South Korea | 190 |
3 | Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain | 189 |
4 | Austria, denmark | 188 |
5 | France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden | 187 |
6 | Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland | 186 |
7 | Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Norway, United Kingdom, United States | 185 |
8 | Australia, Canada | 184 |
9 | Hungary | 183 |
10 | Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia | 182 |
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