The United Arab Emirates (UAE) passport has been declared as the most powerful in the world in an annual list compiled by an offshore consulting firm, Nomad Capitalist.
The UAE has entered the top ten for the first time this year, jumping straight to number one from 35th last year, according to the index.
"This is largely due to recent changes allowing foreigners to apply for dual citizenship, which, combined with the travel freedoms afforded by a UAE passport, plus the country’s business-friendly environment and enviable tax system, puts the UAE top of our list for 2023," the report said.
Jovana Vojinovic, Nomad Capitalist’s director of operations and sales, called the UAE passport the “winner of the decade".
"The UAE added 106 new visa-free countries in the last decade, which is an amazing number,” she told.
"Perception of it improved in the past year because of an influx of rich and famous people who moved there," she added.
Vojinovic praised the UAE's "very liberal" visa policies and its openness to foreigners and investment.
Luxembourg and Switzerland’s passports ranked as second most powerful in the world followed by Ireland and Portugal, which secured fourth place on the ranking
The Nomad Capitalist Passport Index was created to highlight the best citizenships in the world, according to its website.
"Our ratings are based not only on the basis of visa-free travel, but also on international taxation laws, global perception, dual citizenship, and personal freedom," the company said.
The Pakistani passport was ranked as the fourth-worst passport in the world again, maintaining its position from last year and providing access to only 32 locations without a visa, the Henley Passport Index for 2022 reported.
The index ranks 199 passports from around the world in accordance with the number of destinations the holder can visit without having a visa.
The ranking was based on data from the International Air Transport Association, which maintained the world’s largest database of travel information. The data was augmented by ongoing research conducted by the Henley & Partners Research Department.
For the 2022 ranking, Pakistan was placed fourth last, ranking higher than the war-torn countries of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Afghanistan was placed last on the list, with its citizens having access to only 27 countries and the passport having the lowest visa-free score. Holders of Syrian and Iraqi passports could enter 30 and 29 countries, respectively.
The highest ranked passport, with 193 destinations available to its holders, was Japan, followed closely by Singapore and South Korea whose passports did not need a visa for 192 countries.
Other top-ranked countries were mostly European, as well as the United States and the United Kingdom which stood at the 6th and 7th positions. Australia and Canada, along with some European nations, were placed 8th.
In Asia, India - along with Mauritius and Tajikistan - was ranked 87th, with their passport allowing access to 67 countries.
China tied with Bolivia for the 69th spot; their passports allowing access to 80 locations.
In Asia, India - along with Mauritius and Tajikistan - was ranked 87th, with their passport allowing access to 67 countries.
China tied with Bolivia for the 69th spot; their passports allowing access to 80 locations.
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