Emirati passport ranks top globally

ABU DHABI: The Emirati passport ranked first globally as the most powerful passport in the world, ater adding two new points on Tuesday evening, to regain its strength before the corona pandemic, which disrupted global travel.

The passport now allows its holder to enter 179 countries around the world, according to the latest update of the “Passport Index” of the “Arton Capital”, the global financial advisory company.

By adding the two new points, the Emirati passport allows entry to 179 countries, 121 of which are without a prior visa, and 58 visas can be obtained online or upon arrival, with a rate of more than 88% of the world’s countries.

The number of countries requiring a visa has also decreased to only 19 out of the 198 countries approved by the United Nations.

The passports of 11 countries are competing for the second place, namely Germany, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy, Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and South Korea, as their passports allow entry to 173 countries, without a prior visa. The passports of 8 countries, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Norway, Poland, Ireland, the United States and New Zealand come in the third place, as their passports allow entry to 172 countries without a prior visa.

The fourth place is occupied by the passports of 6 countries, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia, as their passports allow entry to 171 countries without a prior visa.

The fith place is occupied by the passports of 5 countries, Singapore, Malta, Lithuania, Slovakia and Canada, whose passports allow entry to 170 countries, without a prior visa.

Until the beginning of 2020, and before the spread of the corona pandemic, the Emirati passport had been ranked first in the world in terms of strength, according to the global rankings since its rise to first place in early December 2018, when its holder was allowed to enter 178 countries, including 118 countries without a prior visa, and 60 countries with an electronic visa or upon arrival at the airport. Despite the challenges of the corona pandemic , the Emirati passport remained the first in the world.