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The United Arab Emirates remains the country that has risen the most on the Henley Passport Index over the last decade, adding an impressive 106 destinations to its visa-free score since 2014.
Six countries now share the top spot with visa-free access to a record number of destinations online. Henley Passport Index 2024. The index, based on exclusive and official IATA data, ranks all passports in the world according to the number of destinations their holders can enter without a prior visa.
This year, France, Germany, Italy and Spain join Japan and Singapore as the world’s most powerful passports. Its citizens can visit 194 destinations out of 227 worldwide without a visa.
The two Asian nations have been at the top of the list for the past five years.
South Korea joins Finland and Sweden in second place with visa-free travel to 193 destinations.
Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands share third place with visa-free access to 192 countries.
The rest of the top 10 is dominated by European countries, with the United Kingdom rising two places to fourth place.
UK citizens now have visa-free access to 191 destinations, compared to just 188 a year ago.
Australian and New Zealand passport holders improve their ranking to be in sixth place with 189 visa-free destinations, while the United States maintains its seventh place with access to 188 destinations without needing a visa in advance. It has been a decade since the UK and US jointly ranked first in the index in 2014.
The United Arab Emirates remains the largest climber
The United Arab Emirates remains the largest climber in the Henley Passport Index over the last decade, adding an impressive 106 destinations to its visa-free score since 2014.
As a result, the UAE has seen a huge jump of 44 places in the ranking from 55th at 11th position.
The United Arab Emirates now offers its citizens visa-free access to 183 countries.
Like the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine and China are also among the five countries with the most improved rankings over the past 10 years (a total net gain of 21 places each), and both have risen two more places in the last anus.
Ukraine is now at 32North Dakota place with 148 visa-free destinations and China is 62North Dakota in the ranking with access to 85 destinations without a prior visa (compared to only 44 in 2014).
Russia has seen a net increase of 24 destinations in 10 years, its visa-free score and ranking has barely changed since 2017. It now sits at 51street place with access to 119 destinations.
Investment migration
Henley & Partners research shows a strong correlation between economic performance, the power of passports and countries hosting investment migration programs. For example, almost 60 percent of G7 countries, which together account for 30 percent of global GDP and have an average Henley Passport Power percentage score of 82 percent, offer some form of residency or citizenship by residency program. investment.
Similarly, almost all 27 EU member states (with an average HPP score of 74 percent) grant the right to reside in exchange for making some type of investment, and most of the 19 G20 sovereign states (with an average HPP score of 54 percent) also offer a mechanism to encourage inward investment in exchange for residency rights.
Dr. Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley & Partnerssays that both visa opening and investment migration are important levers that governments can use to positively impact and improve the power of their passports, as well as their economic progress.
“What distinguishes residency and citizenship by investment programs from debt-driven financing approaches is that they enhance the sovereign wealth of the host nation. They do not require compromising or sacrificing one strategic objective to achieve another. Investment migration is a truly sustainable, long-term and beneficial solution for all stakeholders, whether investors or nation states and their citizens.”
he said.
News source: Gulf Business
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