Who has the best passport?
Henley & Partners, a global citizenship and advisory firm, has unveiled the world’s most coveted passports of 2019, in terms of the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa
Henley & Partners updates its Henley Passport Index on a quarterly basis, and as of 1 October 2019, Japan and Singapore continue to vie for first place, each giving their holders visa-free access to 190 destinations.
Germany, Finland and South Korea each give their passport holders instant access to 188 destinations, ranking the three countries at joint second place in the top 10. Germany actually reigned as first in the list for four consecutive years between 2014 and 2017 before dropping down to third in 2018. Perhaps 2020 will see it back at the top of the list.
Coming in third, we have Denmark, Italy and Luxembourg, all offering their lucky passport holders visa-free access to 187 different destinations. And members of the EU continue to dominate the top 10 spaces on the list, as France, Sweden and Spain all rank joint fourth, with visa-free access to 186 countries at their passport holders’ fingertips. EU citizens based in Austria, Netherlands and Portugal (ranking fifth) can enjoy access to 185 destinations without the hassle of having to apply for a visa before arriving.
Sixth place on the Index is a busy rung indeed, with eight countries – Norway, Switzerland, the UK, the US, Belgium, Canada, Greece and Ireland – proudly serving their passport holders visa-free access to 184 countries.
The Czech Republic and Malta came seventh in 2019 (with 183 destinations). The Czech Republic has slowly been climbing the list for some time. In the last 10 years alone, the country has gone from 17th place to seventh. Malta, on the other hand, has been riding the crest of the list since 2012.
Sitting rather remotely by itself, New Zealand comes in at number eight. Kiwis benefit from no-fuss entry to 182 destinations. Aussies aren’t far behind either, with visa-free passport access to 181 countries. Lithuania and Slovakia also rank joint ninth place with Australia.
Lastly, bringing up the rear of the top 10 (but by no means less coveted than many of the passports in first place) are Iceland, Hungary, Latvia and Slovenia. The countries all offer their passport holders visa-free access to 180 destinations.
Henley’s ranking is based on exclusive data gathered by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The IATA notes that possessing the right documentation does not always guarantee entry to a foreign country, where local immigration authorities have complete control over whether an individual is granted entry.
See the full Henley & Partners Passport Index, here.