Which country has the most visa-free passports?

The Ukrainian war and the COVID-19 epidemic have changed the world pattern of "passport rights".

In 2022, Japan ranked among the best in the "Henry Passport Index";

The Ukrainian war and the COVID-19 epidemic have affected the global passport ranking;

Since Britain left the EU, the ranking of British passports has dropped by six places.

Earlier this year, Henry &; Dr Christian Kaelin, the chairman of Partners Investment Immigration Company and the inventor of the passport index concept, said: "The passport you hold determines your fate and greatly affects your choice."

Recent global shocks, such as the Ukrainian war and the COVID-19 epidemic, have changed the global pattern of passport rights. Henry & ampPartners collected data from IATA (International Air Transport Association). According to its latest ranking, this change in passport rights has impacted many people's opportunities.

The most powerful passport in the world

In the 2022 passport index ranking, Asian countries are currently ranked in the top three, and Japan ranks first. However, before the outbreak of COVID-19, European countries occupied a dominant position in the passport ranking, which indicated that the COVID-19 epidemic still had a lingering influence, and the travel restrictions in Europe followed.

Japanese citizens now have the highest passport rights, because they can enter 193 countries without visas or landing visa. South Korea and Singapore tied for second place, and their passports allowed their citizens to enter the country without restriction.

Germany, which ranked second before, is now tied with Spain for fourth place. In addition, in the past few years, Britain's withdrawal from the EU has had a significant impact on the value of British passports. Britain is now tied for sixth place with France, Ireland and Portugal. According to the passport index, before the referendum on Britain's withdrawal from the EU in 20 15, Britain's passport rights were neck and neck with Germany.

Asian countries are in the leading position in this year's passport index.

Although Japanese citizens have the strongest passports, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the subsequent economic impact and the depreciation of the yen, the number of Japanese tourists traveling abroad has also decreased. According to the data of Japan Exit-Entry Administration, in May this year, there were 1340 13 overseas tourists, which was -90.7% lower than that in 20 19.

This trend is also reflected in the data of other Asia-Pacific regions counted by IATA. In March this year, the demand for international tourists only reached 65,438+07% of the pre-epidemic level, and this figure was lower than 65,438+00% for most of the past two years.

The Russian-Ukrainian war affected the pattern of passport rights.

At the same time, after the war broke out between Ukraine and Russia, the European Union voted to take urgent measures to allow Ukrainian citizens to enter the EU visa-free in the next three years, which made Ukraine's passport rights ranking rise to 35th.

In March this year, the European Union agreed to implement Ukraine's temporary protection directive, which proposed "providing immediate protection for refugees in need while avoiding overwhelming refugee asylum systems in EU member States". According to United Nations statistics, more than 6 million people have fled Ukraine so far.

Henry & Partners said that the Russian-Ukrainian war "effectively sanctioned Russian passports and reduced their passport rights to the level of' junk' among the developed countries". Henry & Partners also warned that "with the fall of the new iron curtain, the freedom of movement of Russian citizens will have a far-reaching impact and may be irreversible". As a reflection of this view, the ranking of Russian passports has declined since the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. It is now ranked 50th, down five places from last year.

Henry & ampPartners' research found that the country with the highest passport rights is often the country with the highest degree of peace.

A lower-ranking passport

Afghanistan continues to maintain the lowest ranking in the passport rights index this year. Afghan citizens can only enter 27 countries without restrictions. Iraq and Syria also rank low, with 29 and 30 visa-free/landing visa countries respectively.