BY MAE YEN YAP – JAN
The 2020 Henley Passport Index was released yesterday and it’s official.
The Singaporean passport has been overtaken from its throne of being one of the world’s most powerful passport in 2019, returning to its previous 2018 position of second place.
Which country’s passport solely dominates the rankings now you ask? It’s Japan.
According to the Henley Passport Index, which uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to rank all passports across the globe according to the number of destinations a passport holder can access without a prior visa, the latest report revealed that Japan is now the sole most powerful passport once again.
Japan has consistently ranked top place since 2018. Since 2016, it has always ranked within the top 6 positions.
Here are the results of this year’s analysis.
IMAGE: 2020 Henley Passport Index
The top 3 positions continue to be dominated by Asian countries. Japan is at first place with access to 191 countries without having to apply for prior visa, Singapore at second with access to 190 countries, and South Korea tied with Germany for 3rd place with access to 189 countries.
The difference that led to Japan and Singapore’s ranking is that Japanese passport holders have visa on arrival access to Saudi Arabia, while Singapore passport holders do not.
The next most powerful Asian passport is Malaysia that’s tied with Liechtenstein for 14th place with access to 178 countries.
So there you have it folks!
If you’re looking to travel, make sure to check the visa requirement for your destination. You never know when visa requirements may change.
Cover image sourced from Today Online and CNN Travel.
