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Roam where you want to — as long as you live in the right country.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was rated the most powerful passport for the fourth year in a row, according to Arton Capital’s Global Passport Power Rank 2024.
This particular ranking is based on ease of access for passport holders — and Emiratis can pretty much breeze across a vast majority of the world’s borders, according to the data.
UAE citizens can wander into a whopping 133 countries with no visa — and 47 more with a quick-and-easy visa on arrival.
As of June 2024, the U.S. State Department has recognized a total of 197 independent countries around the world.
The rest of the top 20 on the list is filled with European states.
Spain was named the second-most powerful passport, squeaking just ahead of a slew of continental counterparts.
Spanish citizens can visit 134 countries visa-free and 45 more with a visa on arrival.
Third place gets a little more crowded — occupied by a whopping 13 countries.
Finland, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Portugal, Norway, Switzerland, Greece and Ireland are all next up in the ranking, with just a hair less access than the Spaniards get.
The United States and United Kingdom did not perform well — with citizens of both countries to do a lot more paperwork than they might expect when traveling overseas.
The US fell from 27th to 38th in 2024. American citizens can visit 123 countries without a visa and 50 by virtue of a visa on arrival. The country hasn’t cracked the survey’s Top 20 since 2019.
Things could look a lot different in the years to come, according to the experts.
“Currently the weakest passport in the G7 group of nations, Trump’s incoming administration has all the motivations to make the US passport great again,” a spokesperson for Arton Capital told the Daily Mail — decrying the “downgrade” of a “once-great passport.”
Meanwhile, the UK dropped from 22nd to 32nd. UK passport holders are able to visit 125 countries visa-free and 49 with an easy visa on arrival.
Arton Capital considers 193 United Nations members and 6 selected territories in its Passport Index ranking, based on publicly available sources and official information provided by government agencies.
Although it is one of the most respected passport rankings and informational sites, the Arton Capital Global Passport Power Rank isn’t the only list of its kind.
Earlier this year, the Henley Passport Index awarded Singapore the title of the world’s most powerful passport.
The United States fared far better on that list — sliding into 8th place.
