According to a new release by the Passport Index, Singapore has tied with Germany as the world's strongest passport with both countries having a visa-free score of 159.
While Singapore was previously second on the Global Passport Power Rank, this changed after Ukraine extended its visa-on-arrival travel to passport holders of Singapore for up to 15 days. This resulted in Singapore’s total visa-free score to 159 from 158, making the passport as powerful as Germany’s.
The Passport Index visa-free free score consists of a score for visa-free travel and a score for visa-on-arrival, with visa-free travel weighing more. Germany still holds first place on individual rankings, while Singapore (second on individual ranking) has a visa-free score of 122 and a visa-on-arrival score of 37.
With the power of global mobility, some of the visa-free destinations that Singapore passports can benefit from include China, Turkey, United Kingdom, amongst others; with visa-on-arrival to Armenia, United Arab Emirates, Maldives, and more.
ALSO READ: Global employee mobility in 2017: 5 trends to watch
As for other Asian countries, Malaysia ranks 4th (together with Japan, Switzerland, Belgium, and more) with a visa-free score of 156 comprising 119 in visa-free and 37 in visa-on-arrival.
On the other hand, Hong Kong passports rank 17th on the list with a visa-free score of 141 comprising 108 in visa-free and 33 in visa-on-arrival.
Top 10 strongest Asian passports and their global rankings
1. Singapore Passport power rank: 1st
2. South Korea Passport power rank: 3rd
3. Malaysia, Japan Passport power rank: 4th
4. Hong Kong Passport power rank: 17th
5. Israel Passport power rank: 20th
6. Brunei Passport power rank: 21st
7. United Arab Emirates Passport power rank: 27th
8. Taiwan Passport power rank: 31st
9. Macao Passport power rank: 32nd
10. Russian Federation Passport power rank: 41st
Lead Photo / Passport Index Table / Passport Index