As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 6th of October, 2020, the Passport Index has published data for the new most powerful passport in the world, ranking 193 members of the United Nations (UN) according to the number of countries they can enter freely without a visa, or in which a visa can be obtained immediately upon arrival, according to a report from punkufer.hr. The Croatian passport is in an enviably high place.
Last year’s winner, Japan, has since dropped down to second place, and the prestigious title has now been awarded to New Zealand. New Zealand passport holders can enter most countries without the need to obtain visas - more specifically, they can freely enter as many as 129, although international travel is currently not recommended unless necessary due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Second place is shared by as many as eight countries - Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, South Korea, Japan and Australia. Individuals holding the passports of those countries can enter 128 countries without visas, while in third place are Sweden, Belgium, France, Finland, Italy and Spain (who can freely enter 127 countries).
Most European countries are in the top 10 most powerful passports in the world, and the Croatian passport was awarded a high eighth place, which it shares with Cyprus and Monaco.
The coronavirus pandemic significantly affected countries' openness to travellers from other countries, and the Passport Index updated its passport rankings despite the continued pandemic-induced instability as it sought to show the true impact of the spread of the new virus on travel.
The United States, for example, has dropped to 21st place on the Passport Index this year (visa-free entry in 92 countries is allowed for US citizens), and citizens of Serbia, Northern Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania, all own passports which are better ranked than the American travel document.
At the bottom of the scale are Afghanistan and Iraq, the citizens of which have free entry to only 31 countries in the world.
The 10 most powerful passports in the world according to the Passport Index are as follows:
1. New Zealand, 129 countries without a visa
2. Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, South Korea, Japan, Australia, 128 countries without a visa
3. Sweden, Belgium, France, Finland, Italy, Spain, 127 countries without a visa
4. United Kingdom, Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Lithuania, Norway, Iceland, Canada, 126 countries without visa
5. Malta, Slovenia, Latvia, 125 countries without a visa
6. Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Liechtenstein, 124 countries without a visa
7. Slovakia, 123 countries without a visa
8. Croatia, Cyprus, Monaco, 121 countries without a visa
9. Romania, Bulgaria, 120 visa-free countries
10. San Marino, Andorra, Uruguay, 115 countries without a visa
You can see the complete list of the most powerful passports in the world of the Passport Index by clicking here
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