Gulf News

Passport offers Emiratis new opportunit­ies

UAE CITIZENS CAN TRAVEL VISA-FREE TO 113 COUNTRIES AND GET VISA-ON-ARRIVAL IN 54

- BY JANICE PONCE DE LEON Staff Reporter

It only took a year for the UAE to add 35 new names to its list of 132 nations to reach 167 countries its citizens can travel to visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival status. With this achievemen­t from 2017-18, the UAE clinched the world’s most powerful passport title

It only took a year for the UAE to add 35 countries to its list of 132 countries to reach a total of 167 countries its citizens can travel to visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival status from 2017 to 2018, clinching the world’s most powerful passport title. The UAE passport surpassed Singapore and Germany on December 1 when it ranked first among 193 countries, according to the Passport Index with the biggest number of countries it can travel to without prior visa arrangemen­ts.

This quick rise in passport rankings gives Emiratis improved global mobility. UAE passport holders can now travel to 113 countries visa-free and with visa on arrival to 54 countries.

Now, there are only 31 countries where UAE passport-holders require a visa. They include the US, South Africa, Pakistan, Afghanista­n, Algeria, Belize, Bhutan, Cameroon, Eritrea, Ghana, Kiribati, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela among others.

But considerin­g the strong relations the UAE has with many of these countries, it will be only a matter of time before for more countries are added to the list.

As far as targets are concerned, the UAE last year announced an ambitious goal — to put the country’s passport on the list of the five most important passports in the world by 2021.

This UAE Passport Force initiative targeted 161 countries by 2021 in time for the country’s golden jubilee.

But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Internatio­nal Cooperatio­n successful­ly hit the target just a year later and three years ahead of the target.

The Schengen visa waiver obtained in 2015 boosted the UAE’s rise in the rankings. UAE citizens enjoy a visa waiver to the 26 Schengen countries in Europe.

Coming second place is Singapore with 127 countries it can travel visa-free to, 39 countries on arrival while 32 countries require visas.

Germany in the third place has visa-free status to 126 countries, on arrival in 40 countries and will need a visa to 32 countries prior to arrival.

This achievemen­t is a true reflection of the legacy of Shaikh Zayed. It also underscore­s what can be achieved through positive diplomacy, reflecting the UAE as a confident force at the global stage.’’

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan | Minister of Foreign Affairs and Internatio­nal Cooperatio­n

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