Germany is the state whose citizens are the travellers most welcome to cross their borders. In 2017, this European country reigned the top ten most powerful passports in the world. Technically, the German passport holders can visit visa-free 177 countries, according to The Henley Passport Index.
The annual ranking of passport power by the citizenship planning firm, revealed the latest info regarding the most powerful passports of the planet. In 2017, 177 countries were happy to see German citizens as the visa-free tourists and visitors.
As of today, The Henley Passport Index looks like this:
The weakest passports of the world
While almost all European countries demonstrate the power of their passports, i.e. Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Slovenia (167), Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia (166), Estonia (165), Poland (163), Monaco (162), the Middle East countries like Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan remain at the bottom of the index. Each able to access 30 or fewer countries visa-free for the second year in a row.
According to Dr Christian H. Kälin, group chairman of Henley&Partners, nowadays, the need for visa-free access is greater than ever. In particular, he told:
“Across the economic spectrum, individuals want to transcend the constraints imposed on them by their country of origin and access business, financial, career, and lifestyle opportunities on a global scale.”
The Henley Passport Index shows individuals where they lie on the spectrum of global mobility, revealing the strength that their passport has in relation to other passports.
