Singapore Currently Has the World’s Strongest Passport
Singaporeans, get ready to flex your passports. Singapore has gotten ahead of Japan by possessing the world’s strongest passport in the third quarter of 2023.
According to the Henley Passport Index published on 18 Jul 2023, Singaporeans have visa-free access to 192 out of 227 destinations worldwide. Following in second place are Italy, Germany, and Spain, with 190 destinations.
On the other hand, Japan has fallen to third place, with 189 destinations. It shares the rank with six other countries: Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Sweden. The last time Singapore was in the lead was in 2021, with visa-free travel to 194 destinations.
What defines a powerful passport?
The Henley Passport Index was created by Henley & Partners to evaluate the strength of each passport, based on how many destinations its holders can visit without applying for a visa.
This report is generated quarterly, ranking a total of 199 countries. A passport gets one point for each country that its holders can visit visa-free. The total points of each passport determine its place in the passport index ranking.
Based on the report, Singapore has had a tremendous improvement of 25 points and has risen over five places in the past decade. In comparison, the United States of America, which is currently ranked eighth with a score of 184, has only gone up by 12 points within the same time period.
What does this mean for Singaporean travelers?
Having the strongest passport for 2023 equates to having the most freedom when it comes to traveling. So, Singaporeans can pick and choose places to go without worrying about visa applications.
When a destination country requires a visa, that would mean travelers have more documents to fill up and more costs to bear. This makes going overseas a little more troublesome.
Currently, Singaporeans will still require a visa to enter the other 35 destinations, such as China, the Republic of Congo, and Yemen. But there are still so many visa-free travel options for Singaporeans. So, grab your passports and travel away!
Source: https://bit.ly/43yCg9Z
