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Singaporeans now hold the world's strongest passport

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Good news for Singaporeans - the Singapore passport is now the most powerful in the world with a Passport Index visa-free score of 159, breaking the tie with Germany (Passport Index visa-free score of 158).

According to the news release, Paraguay recently removed visa requirements for Singaporeans, propelling Singapore’s passport to the top of Passport Index’ most powerful ranking.

The Passport Index visa-free score consists of a score for visa-free travel and a score for visa-on-arrival, with visa-free travel weighing more. The little red dot now has a visa-free travel score of 124 and a visa-on-arrival score of 35. While Germany has a visa-free travel score of 125 and a visa-on-arrival score of 33.

Passport index 2017 - Singapore and Germany

 

Neighbouring Malaysia was ranked 19 with a Passport Index visa-free score of 154 (118 in visa-free travel and 36 in visa-on-arrival), while Hong Kong was ranked 45 with a Passport Index visa-free score of 142 (109 in visa-free travel and 33 in visa-on-arrival).

Historically, the top 10 most powerful passports in the world were mostly European, with Germany having the lead for the past two years. Since early 2017, the number one position was shared with Singapore, which was steadily going up.

Philippe May, managing director of Arton Capital’s Singapore office, said: "For the first time ever an Asian country has the most powerful passport in the world. It is a testament of Singapore’s inclusive diplomatic relations and effective foreign policy."

While Singapore quietly climbed the ranks, the US passport has fallen down since Trump took office. Most recently Turkey and the Central African Republic revoked their visa-free status to US passport holders.

Passport index 2017 - comparing countires

Top 10 strongest Asian passports and their global rankings

1. Singapore Passport Index visa-free score: 159 Visa-free travel: 124 Visa-on-arrival: 35 World ranking: 1

2. South Korea Passport Index visa-free score: 157 Visa-free travel: 117 Visa-on-arrival: 40 World ranking: 4

3. Japan Passport Index visa-free score: 156 Visa-free travel: 117 Visa-on-arrival: 39 World ranking: 11

4. Malaysia Passport Index visa-free score: 154 Visa-free travel: 118 Visa-on-arrival: 36 World ranking: 19

5. Hong Kong Passport Index visa-free score: 142 Visa-free travel: 109 Visa-on-arrival: 33 World ranking: 45

6. Israel Passport Index visa-free score: 137 Visa-free travel: 103 Visa-on-arrival: 34 World ranking: 48

7. Brunei Passport Index visa-free score: 135 Visa-free travel: 102 Visa-on-arrival: 33 World ranking: 50

8. United Arab Emirates Passport Index visa-free score: 128 Visa-free travel: 96 Visa-on-arrival: 32 World ranking: 56

9. Macao Passport Index visa-free score: 120 Visa-free travel: 86 Visa-on-arrival: 34 World ranking: 66

10. Taiwan Passport Index visa-free score: 120 Visa-free travel: 80 Visa-on-arrival: 40 World ranking: 67

Photo / 123RF

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