Dubai: If you’re British, Finish or Swedish, congratulations — your passport is ranked best in the world and means you can travel to more countries visa-free than of the holders of any of the other 215 passports globally.
But if you’re from Iraq or Afghanistan, your passport means you’re stuck with travel documents that are the least accepted globally.
The rankings are produced annually by Henley and Partners, a global consulting firm with offices around the world, and in conjunction with IATA, the International Air Transport Association. There are 218 different passports issued by political entities globally, and it’s theoretically possible that any nationality can travel to each of the 217 passport-issuing places. But visa restrictions mean having to apply in advance before you travel. The survey ranks how different passports stack up when it comes to ease of travel — without having to apply in advance — and getting visa on arrivals.
According to the survey, UK, Sweden and Finland passport-holders can travel to 173 countries easily.
Next comes the US, Denmark , Germany and Luxembourg, equally with 172 countries allowing easy access. Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands are joint third, while Ireland, Canada, France, Japan, Norway, Portugal and Spain are joint fourth.
Citizens of the UAE have a passport that is ranked joint 56th, along with Palau and Suriname. Saudi Arabia is ranked 64th.
India is ranked joint 74th, on par with Uzbekistan and the Dominican Republic, with 52 countries allowing for ease of access. Bangladesh is ranked 85th, equal to Burundi, Ethiopia and North korea. And Pakistan? It is ranked joint 91st, on par with Somalia, just ahead of Iraq and Afghanistan.
