THE STRAITS TIMES – The Singapore passport remains one of the most powerful in the world, tying for second place with South Korea’s in allowing visa-free entry to 192 countries.
Japan’s passport took top spot for enabling holders visa-free entry into 193 countries, according to the latest update of a worldwide index compiled by global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley and Partners
The latest ranking comes at a time when global travel is picking up at pace after more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In October last year, Singapore and Japan shared the top spot for enabling holders of the passports to travel without a pre-approved visa to 192 destinations.
Director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at NUS Business School Professor Lawrence Loh said, “The high regard for the Singapore passport is just the tip of the iceberg.
It reflects the fine international reputation that the country has on the global stage, particularly its strong national governance.
“It is also indicative of the quality human talent. Most significantly, I think the passport status speaks well of the trust overseas stakeholders have on the Singapore brand name.”
At the other end of the spectrum, Russian passport holders are increasingly being cut off from the rest of the world as sanctions, travel bans and airspace closures limit their access to all but a few destinations in Asia and the Middle East, said Henley and Partners in a statement.
The Russian passport currently sits at 50th place on the index, giving easy access to 119 nations. China is placed 69th with access to 80 countries, while India’s passport is ranked 87th.
