Omani citizens can travel to 90 countries visa-free

Oman has jumped five places to 60th in the 2024 Henley Passport Index, which is based on official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Oman was ranked 65th in the 2023 rankings when its citizens could travel visa-free to 82 countries. This has now gone up to 90 destinations.

An unprecedented six countries share the top spot with visafree access to a record-breaking number of destinations on the 2024 index.

Four EU member states — France, Germany, Italy and Spain — join Japan and Singapore in boasting the most powerful passports in the world, with their citizens able to visit an astonishing 194 destinations out of 227 around the globe visa-free.

The index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

In the GCC, the UAE is the top ranked (11th) country with its citizens able to travel to 183 countries vis-free. It is followed by Qatar - ranked 53rd and visa-free travel to 108 countries - Kuwait (55th and 102), Bahrain (59th and 91) and Saudi Arabia (61st and 89).

Dr Christian H Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and inventor of the passport index concept, said although the general trend over the history of the 19year-old ranking has been towards greater travel freedom, the global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now wider than ever. “The average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. The top-ranked countries are now able to travel to a staggering 166 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan, which sits at the bottom of the ranking with access to just 28 countries without a visa.”

South Korea joins Finland and Sweden in second place with visa-free travel to 193 destinations, and another four EU nations — Austria, Denmark, Ireland and Netherlands — share the third place with access to 192.

The rest of the Top 10 is largely dominated by European countries, with the UK climbing up two ranks to fourth place with visa-free access to 191 destinations compared to 188 a year ago. Australia and New Zealand passport holders both improve their ranking to sit in sixth place with 189 visa-free destinations, while the US retains its seventh place with access to 188 destinations without requiring a visa in advance. It has been a decade since the UK and the US jointly held first place on the index in 2014.

Biggest climbers and fallers

The UAE remains the biggest climber on the Henley Passport Index over the past decade, adding an impressive 106 destinations to its visa-free score since 2014, resulting in a massive leap of 44 places in the ranking from 55th to 11th position.

Ukraine and China are also among the Top 5 countries with the most improved rankings over the past ten years (a net total gain of 21 places each), and both have climbed a further two ranks in the past year. Ukraine is now in 32nd place with 148 visa-free destinations and China is 62nd on the ranking with access to 85 destinations without a prior visa (compared to just 44 in 2014).

The average number of destinations travellers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024 DR CHRISTIAN H KAELIN