The latest updates to the Henley Index Passports show that Canadian passport holders are among the luckiest travelers in the world. The index, which is a regularly updated list that ranks passports according to the number of countries that their holders are able to visit without a visa, ranks the Canadian passport as the fifth most powerful in the world.
Canadian citizens, who share the fifth place together with Belgium, Ireland and Switzerland passport holders, can visit 185 countries without the need to apply for a visa first.
On the other hand, Japan and Singapore top the list, with their citizens being able to visit 189 destinations visa-free. Germany, which held the first position for five years in a row, now sits in the second place with its passport holders being able to visit just one country less than Japan and Singapore nationals.
Singapore, which was listed second during the previous updates since Kosovo removed visa free regime for Singaporeans thus making Japan’s passport the sole most powerful in the world, got its first place back, after the Balkan country restored visa free regime for its passport holders recently.
The countries listed in the top ten ranks and the number of destinations their citizens are permitted to enter visa free, are as following:
- 189 destinations – Singapore and Japan
- 188 destinations – Germany
- 187 destinations – South Korea, France, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Finland, and Sweden
- 186 destinations – Portugal, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Norway, the US, and the UK
- 185 destinations – Canada, Ireland, Switzerland, and Belgium
- 183 destinations – Australia
- 182 destinations – Malta, Czech Republic, and New Zealand
- 181 destinations – Iceland
- 180 destinations – Malaysia, Slovenia, and Hungary
- 179 destinations – Lithuania, Latvia, and Slovakia
Once again, Ukraine is among the highest climbers of the index, rising for 20 places to the 38th rank. Its passport holders now have visa-free access to 128 destinations worldwide.
On the other hand, Middle Eastern countries like Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan remain at the end of the list, with their citizens being able to visit 30 to 33 countries visa-free.
Europe is the continent with most visa privileges. The worst ranking European country remains the 10 years old Kosovo, ranked 93rd with its citizens being able to visit only 44 countries visa-free.
The Henley Index Passport is a list that ranks world passports, published by Henley & Partners, a firm focused on residence and citizenship planning. The firm publishes the annual index that ranks passports of 199 countries, according to the number of destinations their holders can travel to visa-free.