Singapore passport 4th in global travel freedom ranking
The Singapore passport ranks 4th in the world for the number of countries granting it visa-free entry. This was revealed in the 2017 Visa Restrictions Index, an annual travel freedom ranking published by the global residence and citizenship advisory firm, Henley & Partners.
Having the passport allows a traveller visa-free access to 173 countries. Singapore, which attained its highest position in the global ranking in 10 years, remains No. 1 in South-east Asia, followed closely by neighbours Malaysia and Brunei with visa-free access to 164 and 151 countries, respectively.
The index is produced in partnership with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
According to Dominic Volek, Managing Partner of Henley & Partners Singapore and Head South-east Asia, the make-up of the global top 10 has not changed since last year, but a changing geopolitical climate could affect rankings over the next 12 months.
“We have seen several major changes to the global political landscape – such as Brexit and US President Donald Trump’s travel ban – that will likely change global mobility,” said Volek.
The German passport, with access to 176 countries, holds on to the top spot for the fourth consecutive year. Sweden is in second place with 175 countries, and Denmark, Finland, Italy, Spain and the US jointly rank third, with their nationals enjoying access to 174 countries without a visa.
At the bottom of the ranking sit Syria, Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan, with visa-free access to fewer than 30 countries each.
