Asian passports from Japan and Singapore take top rankings dethroning european passports in the newly released Henley passport index.
The UAE passport now holds the number 1 passport in the Middle East region as it climbs to 21st in Passport rankings. The most dramatic climb on the Henley Passport Index comes from Kosovo, which officially met all the criteria for visa-liberalization with the EU in July and is now in discussions with the European Council.
Newcomer Moldova, which launched its CBI program in the second half of this year, has climbed 20 places in Henley passport since 2008. The European Commission proposed on 27 November 2013 to allow visa-free travel to the Schengen area for Moldovan citizens holding a biometric passport.
Moldova announced opening of new citizenship by investment program with minimum investment of EUR 100,000 for foreigners seeking second citizenship. Montenegro also announced new citizenship by investment program along with Moldova for EUR 250,000 against investment in the country capped at 2000 applicants.
According to Henley Passport Index (HPI), Countries with citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programs in place all fall within the top 50 of the Henley Passport Index and are continually rising up the ranking. Every CBI program country has improved its visa-free/visa-on-arrival score since the start of the year.
“CBI programs offer access to some of the world’s strongest and most promising passports,” says Dr. Kälin, “and the merit of these passports is a reflection of the underlying stability and attractiveness of the countries themselves. The travel freedom that comes with a second passport is significant for individuals, while the economic and societal value that CBI programs generate for host countries can be transformative.”
According to Henley passport index report..
- Russia received a boost in September when Taiwan announced a visa-waiver for Russian nationals (valid until July 2019)
- Germany has fallen further to 3rd place, which it now shares with South Korea and France.
- Chinese nationals obtained access to two new jurisdictions (St. Lucia and Myanmar), but the Chinese passport fell two places this quarter, to 71st overall.
The Henley Passport Index is the original and most authoritative passport index, with historical data spanning 13 years. The index and its contents are based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and supplemented, enhanced, and updated using extensive in-house research and open-source online data. The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. Updated in real-time throughout the year, as and when visa-policy changes come into effect, the Henley Passport Index is the most robust and reliable index of its kind.
