Which are the countries with 10 powerful passports? Why are those passports powerful? Find out answers to all your questions below:
Today, it is possible for a person to be a citizen of more than 1 country. When one becomes a citizen of a country, he or she can use that’s country’s passport to travel internationally. For some countries, you may not even need a visa on your passport depending on the country you are a citizen of. For example, citizens of India do not need to apply for a visa to visit Nepal.
Almost all countries allow visa-free travel to a few other countries. This has nothing to do with the traveller and depends largely on the political and economic relationship between the countries. As one would imagine, some countries allow its citizens to travel visa-free to many more countries than others. This determines the power of a passport.
The Indian passport has a power ranking of 70. This places it behind 142 countries across the world. An Indian can travel to 25 countries without a visa. This includes Nepal, Mauritius, Bhutan, Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia and Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, the Indian passport allows Indian citizens to travel to 37 countries where they can apply for a visa on arrival. This includes Cambodia, Haiti, Jamaica, Jordon, Kenya, Maldives, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the passports that are ranked amongst the top 10.
A quick list of countries with 10 powerful passports in the world
Here’s the quick list of the 10 powerful passports in the world ranked by Arton Capital:
Country | Rank | Visa Free Travel | Visa on Arrival | Visa Required | Total Visa Free Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Singapore | 1 | 127 | 39 | 32 | 166 |
Germany | 2 | 126 | 38 | 34 | 164 |
South Korea | 2 | 121 | 43 | 34 | 164 |
Denmark | 3 | 126 | 37 | 35 | 163 |
Sweden | 3 | 126 | 37 | 35 | 163 |
Finland | 3 | 126 | 37 | 35 | 163 |
Lxemburg | 3 | 125 | 38 | 35 | 163 |
Italy | 3 | 125 | 38 | 35 | 163 |
France | 3 | 124 | 39 | 35 | 163 |
Norway | 3 | 123 | 40 | 35 | 163 |
Netherlands | 3 | 123 | 40 | 35 | 163 |
Spain | 3 | 123 | 40 | 35 | 163 |
Japan | 3 | 121 | 42 | 35 | 163 |
USA | 3 | 116 | 47 | 35 | 163 |
Switzerland | 4 | 123 | 39 | 36 | 162 |
Belgium | 4 | 123 | 39 | 36 | 162 |
Austria | 4 | 123 | 39 | 36 | 162 |
Greece | 4 | 122 | 40 | 36 | 162 |
Portugal | 4 | 122 | 40 | 36 | 162 |
Malaysia | 4 | 121 | 41 | 36 | 162 |
UK | 4 | 118 | 44 | 36 | 162 |
Ireland | 4 | 116 | 46 | 36 | 162 |
Canada | 4 | 114 | 48 | 36 | 162 |
Czechia | 5 | 122 | 39 | 37 | 161 |
Hungary | 5 | 121 | 40 | 37 | 161 |
Malta | 6 | 122 | 38 | 38 | 160 |
New Zealand | 6 | 113 | 47 | 38 | 160 |
Australia | 6 | 110 | 50 | 38 | 160 |
Slovenia | 7 | 120 | 39 | 39 | 159 |
Iceland | 7 | 119 | 40 | 39 | 159 |
Poland | 7 | 119 | 40 | 39 | 159 |
Lithuania | 7 | 119 | 40 | 39 | 159 |
Slovakia | 7 | 119 | 40 | 39 | 159 |
Latvia | 7 | 119 | 40 | 39 | 159 |
Estonia | 8 | 119 | 39 | 40 | 158 |
Liechtenstein | 9 | 116 | 40 | 42 | 156 |
Romania | 9 | 116 | 40 | 42 | 156 |
Bulgaria | 9 | 114 | 42 | 42 | 156 |
Cyprus | 10 | 119 | 36 | 43 | 155 |
Countries with 10 powerful passports in the world – A detailed analysis
1. Singapore
Singapore may be a small country but it has the most powerful passport in the world. Singapore passport holders can travel to 127 countries without needing a visa. This includes Austria, the Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, China, France, Germany, Japan and Spain. For 39 other countries including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and Jordan, a visa can be applied for on arrival.
2. Germany and South Korea
Germany and South Korea share the 2nd rank for powerful passports. While Germans can travel visa-free to 126 countries, a South Korean can travel to 124 countries without a visa. The countries that citizens of both countries can travel to without a visa include Argentina, Austria, Belgium Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, France and Greece.
Germans can travel to South Korea without a visa and vice versa. However, Germans can apply for a visa on arrival in only 38 countries while South Koreans can apply for a visa on arrival in 43 countries. Now you know why Germany is top on the list of 10 powerful passports in the world.
3. Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Luxemburg, Italy, France, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, Japan and the USA
Citizens of these countries can travel to 163 countries. Denmark, Sweden and Finland citizens can travel to 126 of these countries without a visa and apply for a visa on arrival at 37 countries. Citizens of Luxemburg and Italy can travel visa-free to 125 countries and get a visa on arrival at 38 countries. French citizens can travel to 124 countries without a visa and get a visa on arrival at 39 countries.
People holding a passport from Norway, Netherlands and Spain can travel to 123 countries without a visa and get a visa on arrival at 40 countries.
Japanese citizens can travel to 121 countries without a visa and get a visa on arrival at 42 countries. The US passport is the least powerful of these passports. An American passport allows its citizens to travel to only 116 countries without a visa and permits them to apply for a visa on arrival at 47 countries.
4. Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, Greece, Portugal, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada
Like the number 3 spot, the number 4 spot is shared by many countries. Citizens of these countries can travel to 162 other countries. Swiss, Belgian and Austrian citizens can travel to 123 of these countries without a visa and apply for a visa on arrival at 39 countries.
Citizens of Greece and Portugal can travel visa-free to 122 countries and get a visa on arrival at 40 countries. Malaysian citizens can travel to 121 countries without a visa and get a visa on arrival at 41 countries. Similarly, citizens of the UK, Ireland and Canada can travel to 118,116 and 114 countries respectively without a visa. They can apply for a visa on arrival at 44, 46 and 48 countries respectively.
5. Czechia and Hungary
Czechia or the Czech Republic and Hungary passports are ranked at number 5 worldwide. Citizens of these countries are welcomed in 161 countries. Of these, Czech citizen can travel to 122 countries without a visa while Hungarians can travel to 121 countries without a visa.
However, their passports are equally powerful because a Czech citizen can apply for a visa on arrival in 39 countries while a Hungarian passport holder can apply for a visa on arrival in 40 countries.
6. Malta, New Zealand and Australia
Citizens of these three countries can travel to 160 other countries but their citizen cannot travel to the same number of countries without a visa. A Maltese citizen can travel to 122 countries without a visa and apply for a visa on arrival in 38 countries. New Zealand citizens can travel to 113 countries without a visa and get a visa on arrival at 47 countries.
At the bottom of the list, Australian citizens can travel to 110 countries without a visa and get a visa on arrival at 50 countries. Thus, the geographical size of a country is not necessarily in direct proportion to the power of its passport.
7. Slovenia, Iceland, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Latvia
Citizens from these 6 nations can travel to 159 countries. Of these, Slovenian citizens can travel to 120 countries without a visa and get a visa on arrival at 39 other countries. Citizens of Iceland, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Latvia can travel to 119 countries without a visa and get a visa on arrival at 40 other countries.
8. Estonia
Estonia is a small country in northern Europe. Its citizens can travel to 158 countries of which 119 welcome Estonian citizens without a visa. This includes a number of other European countries such as Argentina, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, and Greece. A visa on arrival can be applied for in 39 other countries.
9. Liechtenstein, Romania, and Bulgaria
Citizens from these 3 countries can travel to 156 other countries. Liechtenstein citizens and Romanian citizens can travel to 116 countries without a visa and get a visa on arrival in 40 other countries. Bulgarian citizens can travel to 114 countries without a visa and get a visa on arrival in 42 countries. Citizens of all these three countries can travel to the other two countries without a visa.
10. Cyprus
With its citizens welcomed in 155 other countries, the Cyprus passport is ranked at number 10. Cyprus citizens can travel to 119 countries without a visa and get a visa on arrival in 36 other countries.
Also See
- 158 Countries Where the US Citizens Can Travel Without a Visa
- List of Countries Exempted From Visa Obligations to Visit India
- 50 most powerful passports in the world
- Why Some of the World’s Richest Nations have the Weakest Passports?
- Everything You Need To Know About Applying For A German Tourist Visa
- The COVID-19 Effect On Passport Ranking