Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

The world's most powerful passports 2021 – ranked

The world's most powerful passports 2021 – ranked

Being able to move easily around the world has been on hold, but when things start to change, who will have the most visa-free travel options?

Japanese passports are currently the most powerful in the world.

That’s according to the migration and citizenship consultancy, Henley & Partners, which compiles a list of the world’s most potent passports four times a year – and the ones that allow holders to travel widely and visa-free come out on top.

With a total of 193 potential visa-free destinations, Japanese passports are ranked the highest. Just one point behind is Singapore, with Germany and South Korea tied at third place.

At the other end of the ranking, the countries with the lowest visa-free travel capability are Yemen, Pakistan, Syria and Iraq. At the bottom of the list, Afghanistan allows visa-free travel to 26 countries, compared with Japan’s 193.

The Henley Passport Index is based on a comparison of 199 different passports’ access rights to 227 travel destinations with or without an additional visa. For each destination where no visa is required, where a visa, visitor’s permit, or electronic travel authority (ETA) can be obtained on arrival, a nation’s passport earns one point.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of Finland, Spain, Luxembourg, Denmark and Austria.

The top five for Q2 2021


The report comes as the travel industry grapples with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. And the outlook remains uncertain as the potential for new variants of the virus causes governments to curtail or suspend travel to help stop the spread.

Vaccine programmes being rolled out in some parts of the world offer some hope, with many looking forward to the prospect of international travel again.

Another possible consequence is a rise in the number of economic migrants in the post-pandemic period, as changing office patterns free people to work from different locations.

Henley & Partners refers to them as visa nomads: typically, professionals whose employers are adopting more flexible approaches to employment.

Several countries are hoping to tap into this potential talent pool by creating easy-access visa arrangements and visa waiver programmes. In the report accompanying the passport index, Greg Lindsay, director of applied research at NewCities, a nonprofit that works in the field of sustainable urban development, writes: “2021 will be the year savvy governments begin to harness post-pandemic migration opportunities as the driving force for economic recovery and development.”

Attracting new citizens


In Finland, the Helsinki Business Hub has created a ‘90 Day Finn’ program, to attract investors and tech nomads. The programme fast tracks the process of being able to settle in the country and offers additional benefits including access to housing and childcare, earning itself the nickname city-as-a-service.

Portugal’s Startup Madeira, backed by the government, has launched an initiative called Nomad Village, aimed at a similar demographic.

Fancy Barbados? It’s Welcome Stamp allows international visitors to live and work on the island for up to a year and costs $2,000.

Taiwan has a similar scheme in operation – its Gold Card is a combined work and residence permit that allows recipients to leave and re-enter the island.

Several countries have also become popular destinations for people looking to acquire new citizenship status via inward investment. According to Henley & Partners, more than 100 countries operate such schemes, “including 60% of EU member states.”

Favoured destinations to acquire citizenship, showing their passport-power ranking


The cost of such citizenship programmes varies considerably around the world. Austria, for example, requires a minimum investment of approximately $3.6 million. If the Caribbean is more to your liking, however, a number of options are available starting at $100,000.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×