The UAE has the strongest passport in the GCC region, according to a new global index on powerful passports, with the country's global ranking moving up to 27 from 47 last year.

According to a the Passport Index by Arton Capital, the global leader in residency and citizenship solutions, the UAE passport now offers visa-free travel to 120 countries compared to 72 countries last year, taking its individual ranking to 60th place; mainly boosted from its Schengen visa waiver obtained in 2015.

Germany ranked the most powerful passport in the world, with a visa-free score of 157, followed by Sweden, Finland, Italy and Switzerland.

The highest ranked European country with an available Citizenship by Investment programme is that of Malta, ranked seventh, followed by Cyprus (11th) and Bulgaria (14th).

The highest ranked non-European passport is that of South Korea, which ranked third with a visa-free score of 155; followed by Singapore, Japan and Malaysia.

Although the world’s top 10 passports this year are all European, it is relatively difficult to obtain visa-free mobility to its member states. According to the UN World Tourism Organisation, on average 76 per cent of the world’s population are required to obtain a visa prior to departure to Europe. The highest ranked non-European passports are South Korea, ranked 12th, with a visa-free score of 155, followed by Singapore, ranked 14th.

Armand Arton, president of Arton Capital, said: “Many people around the world consider their passports a barrier to their opportunities in life and choose to empower their identity and global footprint by obtaining a second citizenship through investment.

“In an age of increasing mobility, becoming a global citizen has never been more desirable. Investing in a second residency or citizenship is a liberating and empowering privilege, which comes with a responsibility to the world.”

The new generation of the Passport Index, a ranking system that reveals the benefits of each passport from around the world, compares passports from 199 countries including the 193 United Nations member countries as well as the Republic of China, Kosovo, Palestine, and The Vatican.

Passport Index positions countries based on the power of each passport, determined by Arton Capital’s three-tier method which combines a ranking for ‘Visa-free’ travel, together with ‘Visa on arrival’ ratio, with the country’s score as attributed by United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index to take account of the jurisdiction’s international perception.

Essentially, the index serves to understand and visualise the power of each passport on the holder’s identity, opportunity, mobility and overall quality of life. - TradeArabia News Service