People around the world have significantly more freedom to travel than they did a few decades ago. In 2006, people could travel to an average of 58 countries without a visa, while today that number has increased to 111 destinations. Even last year, it was approved that French, German, Spanish and Italian citizens can travel to three new countries without a visa.
The best passport in the world is related to the following 6 countries, which allows access to 194 countries without a visa:
Country ranking Number of countries with visa-free access
1 France 194
1 Germany 194
1 Italy 194
1 Japan 194
1 Singapore 194
1 Spain 194
2 Finland 193
2 South Korea 193
2 Sweden 193
3 Austria 192
While Japan and Singapore held the top spot for the past five years, this year four European countries – France, Germany, Italy and Spain – also climbed to the top.
Meanwhile, China granted visa-free access to these European countries and 50 other countries in an effort to revive tourism after the Corona epidemic. This follows a broader trend of visa waivers for countries to encourage travel and boost economic activity. For example, in the past eight years, both Germany and Singapore have traveled to 35 new countries visa-free.
Finland, Sweden and South Korea are in second place in this ranking.
The United States of America ranks seventh, which is one of the country’s worst relative rankings in recent years. During the last decade, due to diplomatic tensions and the relative lack of welcome of America to foreign tourists, America’s position in this ranking has decreased. Many countries, in response to the US policy of not allowing citizens of other countries to enter the US without a visa, do not allow American tourists to enter their country without a visa. For example, Brazil recently eliminated visa-free access for US citizens on the grounds that the US requires Brazilians to have a visa to travel to the country.
From a regional perspective, 23 of the top 30 passports are in Europe and the UK, three in Asia and two in North America and Oceania.
After years of work, US travelers will need visas to travel to Europe in 2025.
In most cases, requests should be processed within minutes, but some may take several weeks. Travelers in Canada, Mexico and South America must also fill out an application. The good news is that the visa will be valid for three years or the passport’s expiry date, whichever comes first.
In contrast, Indonesia is discussing allowing visa-free access to 20 countries to boost tourism and investment in the country. Indonesia is the second Asian country after Singapore, which is looking to cancel visas for China. Recently, Thailand and Malaysia have provided the world’s second largest visa-free economic access thanks to their role as a key driver of tourism in these countries.
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