World's most powerful passport now belongs to an Asian country

Monday October 30, 2017 , 2 min Read

According to the Global Passport Power Rank 2017, Singapore has the world’s most powerful passport. It is for the first time that an Asian country has topped the Index in Arton Capital's ranking, a global financial advisory firm.

In the ranking given on the basis of visa-free access to a large number of countries, India was ranked 75, three ranks better than the previous year. According to PTI, Managing Director of Arton Capital, Philippe May said,

For the first time ever an Asian country has the most powerful passport in the world. It is a testament of Singapore's inclusive diplomatic relations and effective foreign policy.

Singapore came first after Paraguay removed its visa requirements for Singaporeans, thereby pushing Germany to the second position. Singaporeans can now enter 159 countries without visa or get visa on arrival, including countries like China, Brazil, and Cuba.

Singapore's ranking gains significance as historically, the top positions were held only by European countries. Now, following Singapore and Germany, Sweden and South Korea are at the third position.

The countries that have fared poorly in the index include Somalia, Syria, Pakistan, and Iraq. Talking about the importance of having powerful passports to CNN, Founder and President of Arton Capital, Armand Arton said,

Visa-free global mobility has become an important factor in today's world. More and more people every year invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a second passport to offer better opportunity and security for their families.