How strong is your passport?

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Passports have inherent and tangible power. It is possible to quantify the strength of a passport in many ways. Most passports allow their owners to visit at least a few countries without visa formalities. Some passports, like those issued in EU member states, allow holders to live and work abroad indefinitely. Let’s explore some interesting aspects about the power of passports.

The champions and the runners up

According to one ranking system UAE is the reigning heavyweight champion of passports. UAE passport holders can travel visa-free to 118 countries. They can get a visa on arrival (VoA) at another 60. The German passport is considered the second most powerful. It gives visa-free access to 128 nations and VoA at 43 more. Ranks 2 to 10 are all claimed by EU nations. The US passport features among the top 20, with visa-free entry to 119 nations, plus VoA to 28.

The first and second most populous countries rank relatively quite low. The Chinese passport allows visa-free access to merely 32 countries. The Indian passport ranks lower still. Only 26 national borders allow Indian passport holders in without visas. Citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria hold the weakest passports in the world.

Methodology

Comparing the strength of passports on a single parameter may be considered simplistic. International travel is influenced by a multitude of complex factors. For example most countries limit the duration of stay of visa-free entrants between 30 and 90 days. Also limited is the variety of activities that such visitors can engage in. While great for vacationers, visa-free travel does not usually work for migrants, students, entrepreneurs, and employment-seekers.

Several organizations rank passports, each using its own unique mix of criteria. Passportindex.org ranks countries largely on the basis of entry restrictions. Another index created by Henley & Partners uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Other indices use additional criteria such as taxation, the possibility of dual-citizenship, peace, stability, human development, and the amount of freedom. The variations in ranking criteria across raters are vast. This is why lists from various indices differ significantly from each other. For example, the Sovereign Man Global Passport Ranking places Japan at the top of its list. Meanwhile on the Quality of Nationality Index (QNI) almost all of the top 20 countries are EU member states.

The impact of power

Passport power matters at the national and international levels. Cross-border mobility is an important influencing factor in international commerce. Economic analysts, large corporations, and governments earnestly track passport rankings. A few points’ rise in a country’s passport rank can help attract significant amounts of foreign investment. It can also help local entrepreneurs gain a foothold abroad. Passport rank can influence international money transfers. Currency conversion costs for remittances and other transfers can be markedly better when the receiving nation ranks higher on passport power.

More power to you

It is not uncommon for people to aspire to become another country’s citizens. The preamble to the US Expatriation Act of 1868 states that “the right of expatriation is a natural and inherent right of all people…” Similarly, article 13 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that, “Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own.” Most UN member countries have structured immigration programs. Some bilateral agreements between nations even allow residents to become citizens of two different countries simultaneously.

Conclusion

A strong passport opens many doors for its owner. On the other hand, limited global mobility can make holders of weak passports feel trapped. Passport strength influences worldwide migration. However, most migrants do not trot the globe. They travel to specific destinations in search of specific opportunities. This is why a strong passport may not the one that opens doors to a hundred nations. It is one that lets its owner reach the land he wants to, and make a life there.




About the author:

Hemant G is a contributing writer at Sparkwebs LLC, a Digital and Content Marketing Agency. When he’s not writing, he loves to travel, scuba dive, and watch documentaries.

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