How powerful a passport is, is determined by the number of countries their holders can travel to visa-free. The ranking system awards a passport one point for each country it allows travel to without the need for a pre-obtained visa. Passports are also awarded a point if the bearer can obtain a visa on arrival, or a visitor’s permit or electronic travel authority. No points are awarded for destinations for which the traveller needs to obtain a visa, or government approval, before arriving in the country.
Here are the top 20 most powerful passports in the world.
Rank | Passport issuing country | Visa-free destinations |
1. | Japan | 193 |
2. | Singapore | 192 |
3. | South Korea | 192 |
4. | Germany | 190 |
5. | Spain | 190 |
6. | Finland | 189 |
7. | Italy | 189 |
8. | Luxembourg | 189 |
9. | Austria | 188 |
10. | Denmark | 188 |
11. | Netherlands | 188 |
12. | Sweden | 188 |
13. | France | 187 |
14. | Ireland | 187 |
15. | Portugal | 187 |
16. | United Kingdom | 187 |
17. | Belgium | 186 |
18. | Czech Republic | 186 |
19. | New Zealand | 186 |
20. | New Zealand | 186 |
Switzerland | 186 | |
United States | 186 |
