The Strongest Passports in the World in 2022
The strongest passports in the world in 2022
Every year global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners analyses the data from the largest and most accurate travel information database - the International Air Transport Association (IATA) - and comes up with a list of the world's most powerful passports.
The list compares the visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations. It shows the number of countries where passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, an electronic travel authority (ETA), or enter the destination visa-free.
The latest ranking, as of July 2022, shows that the three world's most powerful passports are of Asian countries, even though international passenger demand for air travel in the Asia-Pacific region is still less than a fifth of pre-Covid levels.
1. Japan
Japanese passport, the most powerful passport in the world, has been keeping leadership for five years, allowing its citizens to travel to 193 destinations without a pre-approved visa. The thing is, having an opportunity to travel hassle-free to so many places, the Japanese are not in a hurry to use this advantage. Less than a quarter of the population has a valid passport, and most locals are not keen to go to faraway foreign locations. However, the situation can change as the world is coming back to normal after pandemics more and more.
2. Singapore and South Korea
These Asian countries have a tie for second place in the global passport ranking and ensure travel-free access to 192 countries, which is only one point less than Japan. This way, citizens of Singapore and South Korea can travel without prior visa-related paperwork to many destinations, including the European Union, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and the United States.
3. Germany and Spain
With Germany's slight downfall and Spain's rise in the ranking compared to last year, in 2022, both of these countries have 3rd place, which is still a solid position among powerful passports. Now they provide visa-exempt travel opportunities to 190 countries, with Morocco, South Africa, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, and South Korea among them.
4. Finland, Italy and Luxembourg
All three of these countries fell from 3rd place in 2021 to 4th now. Still, they are among the strongest passports in the world 2022 and have a chance to fight back for the next year. Currently, Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg passport holders can reach 189 countries without the need to obtain a visa beforehand. In contrast to Asian travelers, Europeans are eager to take advantage of their powerful passports: the traveling market recovered to 60% of the pre-Covid level.
5. Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden
The 5th place is shared by four countries - Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden. Analyzing their movements in the ranking, we can sum up that Austria and Denmark lost one position, while Netherlands and Sweden kept their place exactly like in the previous year. Citizens of these countries have visa-free access to 188 countries which means great travel mobility and freedom.
6. France, Ireland, Portugal and United Kingdom
France, Ireland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom stand in 6th place and give their passport holders an opportunity to easily travel to 187 destinations. This year, the United Kingdom has moved one place above, whereas France, Ireland, and Portugal came one position down. Citizens of these countries can travel without a visa obtained in advance to such countries as the Bahamas, Mauritius, Tanzania, and Turkey.
7. Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and United States
A whole number of five countries share 7th place in the global passport ranking of 2022. We can see that compared to the last year's ranking, Belgium, New Zealand, and Switzerland dropped one position. At the same time, Norway and the United States managed to keep their placement, adding one more country to their visa-free countries list, which this year has reached 186 countries.
8. Australia, Canada, Check Republic, Greece, and Malta
Passport holders of these countries can benefit from not worrying about the visa and freely go to 185 destinations, including Armenia, Georgia, Japan, and South Korea. Australia and Canada have stayed in the same place. Czech Republic, Greece, and Malta all slightly fell - but it's only one position.
9. Hungary
Hungary kept its 9th placement in the passport ranking, offering its citizens visa-free access to the same number of countries as last year - 183. Hungarians can enjoy their trips to the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Japan, and the entire European Union without visa hassle.
10. Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia
Even though these countries' documents round out the top 10 of the world's most powerful passports, they are still extremely strong, as 10th place is considered very high in the ranking with 199 countries. Stability is a key for Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia - they have stayed in the top 10 for two years in a row, providing visa-free travel to 182 countries.
The top 30 most powerful passports countries also include Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Iceland, Malaysia, Liechtenstein, Cyprus, United Arabic Emirates, Chile, Monaco, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hong Kong, Argentina, Brazil, San Marino, Andorra, Brunei, Barbados, Israel, Mexico, St. Kitts and Nevis, Bahamas, Vatican City, Seychelles. Uruguay, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, and Trinidad and Tobago.
