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The World’s Most Powerful Passports – And Where to Get One Most Easily

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Topline

Three of the world’s most powerful passports, as ranked Tuesday by the Henley Passport Index, are among the most difficult countries to obtain citizenship in. Yet they are also among the most sought-after because of their ease of travel and the unfettered access they offer passport holders to nearly 200 destinations worldwide.

Key Facts

According to the Passport Index, which annually ranks all travel documents in the world based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a visa, Singapore is the world’s most powerful passport.

Singapore citizens have access to 195 travel destinations, more than citizens of any other country, and 169 more than the world’s least powerful passport, Afghanistan.

Five countries tied for second place when it comes to obtaining citizenship, including Japan, which is one of the most difficult countries to obtain citizenship from, according to Global Immigration Services.

Prospective citizens must live in Japan for five years before they are eligible for a passport. They must pass a Japanese language test, demonstrate that they can earn a living in the country, and are forced to renounce their previous citizenship. It can take months or years to go through the Ministry of Justice’s procedures after the requirements are met.

According to Henley, seven countries rank third in the world for the most powerful passports, and two of them are also among the hardest to obtain: Austria and Finland.

Austria requires ten years of continuous residence or five years of marriage to an Austrian, a language test and the renunciation of previous citizenship before naturalization will be considered. People can also apply through the citizenship by investment option, which allows applications from people who have made significant economic investments in the country.

The procedure in Finland can take years after meeting the requirements. These requirements include proficiency in Finnish or Swedish, five consecutive years of residence, a clean tax history and proof of financial stability.

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The Most Powerful Passports, According to the Henley Passport Index

1: Singapore

2 (equal): Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Spain

3 (tie): Finland, Sweden, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, Austria, Ireland

4 (tie): United Kingdom, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, New Zealand and Switzerland

5 (equal): PortugalAustralia

Surprising fact

The United States has fallen from the world’s strongest passport to eighth place, the biggest drop of any country in the top 10. The U.S. offers visa-free access to 186 destinations, but it does so only by offering the same to citizens of 45 countries.

In return for

Afghanistan is ranked as the world’s weakest passport country, followed by Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Pakistan. The global mobility gap is wider than ever, Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, said in a statement, with the lowest-ranked country offering visa-free access to just 26 countries, compared with Singapore’s 195.

Read further

ForbesUS drops to No. 8 in world’s most influential passport indexBy means of Suzanne Rowan KelleherForbesHenley Passport Index: The World’s Most Powerful Passports in 2024By means of Duncan Madden

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