UAE passport ranks among world's 'most powerful,' Iraq, Syria at bottom of list

BEIRUT — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ranked among the countries with the most powerful passports globally, according to the Henley Passport Index published on Tuesday.

The 2023 global passport ranking ranks 199 passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The ranking is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority.

The UAE ranked 12th globally, with its passport allowing holders to travel visa-free to 179 countries out of 227. 

Multiple countries can share a ranking if their passports allow holders to visit the same number of countries visa-free, so the UAE falls behind 36 others globally, sharing the 12th position with Cyprus. 

Gulf countries were also featured on the list. The Qatar passport ranked 52nd with its holders allowed to travel to 103 countries, followed by Kuwait ranking 54th with 99 visa-free destinations, Bahrain standing at 59th place with 88 destinations, Oman at 60th place with 85 countries, and finally Saudi Arabia ranking 61st with its citizens allowed to visit 83 countries without a prior visa.

“Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have generally displayed higher-than-average shifts toward increased openness,” the Henley report said.

The Henley report quoted Robert Mogielnicki, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, as saying that GCC countries can further improve their rankings by “adjusting visa schemes, enacting reforms and launching new initiatives.”

In May, Bahrain’s Minister of Tourism Fatima al-Sairafi revealed during a panel discussion at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai that GCC countries are discussing plans for a Schengen-style visa for tourists covering the Gulf region.

Among Arab countries, the Syrian and Iraqi passports are among the weakest in the world, allowing holders to visit 30 and 29 destinations, respectively. They are in the bottom three, only followed by Afghanistan, which holds 103rd place with its passports allowing access to 27 countries visa-free.

Middle East and North African countries occupied various places on the ranking. The Israeli passport ranked 22nd with 158 destinations. Turkey was placed in 50th place with 114 destinations. Of note, Turkish passport holders must obtain a Schengen visa to enter some European countries since Turkey is not a member of the European Union. According to a 2022 report by the SchengenVisaInfo website, the number of visa rejections to Turkish nationals reached 12.7% in 2020 compared to 4% in 2014.

Iran, Lebanon, Libya, the Palestinian territories, Sudan and Yemen, which are witnessing ongoing conflicts and crises, ranked low on the index.

Here is a list of the MENA countries on the Henley Passport Index that includes their ranking and access to visa-free destinations:

United Arab Emirates: 12th (179 destinations)
Israel: 22nd (158 destinations)
Turkey: 50th (114 destinations)
Qatar: 52nd (103 destinations)
Kuwait: 54th (99 destinations)
Bahrain: 59th (88 destinations)
Oman: 60th (85 destinations)
Saudi Arabia: 61st (83 destinations)
Tunisia: 70th (71 destinations)
Morocco: 73rd (67 destinations)
Algeria: 83rd (54 destinations)
Egypt: 83rd (54 destinations)
Jordan: 84th (53 destinations)
Iran: 92nd (44 destinations)
Sudan: 92nd (44 destinations)
Lebanon: 93rd (43 destinations)
Libya: 95th (41 destinations)
Palestinian territories: 98th (38 destinations)
Yemen: 99th (35 destinations)
Syria: 101st (30 destinations)
Iraq: 102nd (29 destinations)

On the global scale, Singapore’s passport ranked number 1 with access to 192 visa-free countries, followed by Germany, Italy and Spain in second place with 190 destinations. The passports of Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden were placed 3rd on the list with 189 destinations.