Home GCC Revealed: World’s best and worst passports for travel The UAE ranks 16th on the 2021 Henley Passport Index by Zainab Mansoor January 6, 2021 The UAE passport ranks 16th in the latest Henley Passport Index, which periodically ranks passports on the the level of travel access they offer. The UAE passport has soared 49 places over the past decade to sit in the 16th position amid the 2021 rankings, up two spots from 18 last year, and currently offers visa-free access to 173 destinations worldwide. The index, which is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ranks the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The rankings also come at a time when the travel industry has arguably been the worst hit globally amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Japan, Singapore and Germany own the top three spots in the 2021 ranking of the Henley Passport Index, offering visa-free access to 191, 190 and 189 destinations globally. Within the GCC, Kuwait and Qatar occupy the 55th and 56th slots, offering visa-free travel access to 96 and 95 countries respectively. Bahrain and Oman rank 64th and 65th respectively, followed by Saudi Arabia a spot lower. World’s most powerful passports in 2021 rankings (Score reveals the number of countries that citizens have visa-free access to) 1. Japan Score: 191 2. Singapore Score: 190 3. Germany Score: 189 4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain Score: 188 5. Denmark, Austria Score: 187 6. Sweden, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Ireland Score: 186 7. Belgium, Norway, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States Score: 185 8. Australia, Czech Republic, Greece, Malta Score: 184 9. Canada Score: 183 10. Hungary Score: 182 World’s least powerful passports in 2021 rankings 1. Afghanistan Score: 26 2. Iraq Score: 28 3. Syria Score: 29 4. Pakistan Score: 32 5. Yemen, Somalia Score: 33 6. Palestinian Territory Score: 37 7. Nepal, Libya Score: 38 8. North Korea Score: 39 9. Sudan, Lebanon, Kosovo Score: 40 10. Bangladesh, Iran Score: 41 Tags Countries passport Travel UAE visa-free access 0 Comments You might also like How the UAE’s record budget will be spent in 2025 Branded residences: UAE real estate’s most lucrative trend The UAE’s latest CEPA deal is with this Arab nation The newest VAT exemptions for UAE crypto, investment firms