UAE citizens can now get visa-free access to over 183 countries after the Henley & Partner’s 2024 Passport Index released on Wednesday. The UAE passport has grown stronger in 2024 and remained the biggest climber on the Index over the past decade. With an impressive addition of 106 destinations to its visa-free score since 2014, UAE took a massive leap of 44 places in the ranking from 55th to 11th position.
Meanwhile this time, six countries have achieved a record-breaking number of countries with visa-free access, making them at the top of countries on the 2024 index.
UAE Passport Ranking in The Past 10 Years
| Year | Ranking |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 55 |
| 2015 | 42 |
| 2016 | 38 |
| 2017 | 38 |
| 2018 | 21 |
| 2019 | 15 |
| 2022 | 18 |
| 2021 | 16 |
| 2022 | 15 |
| 2023 | 13 |
| 2024 | 11 |
Ukraine and China are also among the top five countries with the most upgraded rankings over the past 10 years with a net total gain of 21 places each.
Ukraine is on 32nd place with 148 visa-free destinations while China is on 62nd place with net access to 85 visa-free destinations without a prior visa.
Russia, on the other hand, sits at 51st place and has seen a net rise of 24 places in over 10 years, with access to 119 places.
Countries like Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen have secured the bottom of the list with rankings of 104, 103, 102, 101 and 100 respectively.
Bangladesh rose by one position and ranked 97th, while India’s passport rose by 3 positions, securing the rank 80 in the report.
France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have joined Japan and Singapore to become the most powerful passports in the world, with their citizens getting visa free entry in 194 destinations out of 227 around the globe. This time, two Asian nations have dominated the 1st place on the index for the past five years.
Ranking of Gulf countries for most powerful passports in 2024
| Country | Rank | Visa free country |
|---|---|---|
| UAE | 11 | 183 |
| Qatar | 53 | 108 |
| Kuwait | 55 | 102 |
| Bahrain | 59 | 91 |
| Oman | 60 | 90 |
| Saudi Arabia | 61 | 89 |
The UAE passport has maintained its top position in the Gulf region, followed by Qatar at 53, Kuwait at 55, Bahrain at 59, Oman at 60 and Saudi Arabia at 61.
List of 183 countries where UAE citizens can travel visa-free
- Albania
- Andorra
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Aruba
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bermuda
- Bolivia
- Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Canada
- Cape Verde Islands
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Comoro Islands
- Congo (Rep.)
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Curacao
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Estonia
- eSwatini
- Ethiopia
- Faroe Islands
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- French Polynesia
- French West Indies
- Gabon
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hong Kong (SAR China)
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macao (SAR China)
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niue
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau Islands
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Reunion
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- Rwanda
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Maarten
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- The Gambia
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tonga
- Tunisia
- Turkiye
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Tuvalu
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vanuatu
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
According to the report of Henley & Partners, there is a strong correlation between economic performance, passport ranking, and countries who host investment migration programmes. Nearly 60 percent of G7 countries collectively account for 30 percent of global GDP. And nearly all 27 EU member states provide the right to reside in return for making some form of investment.
Both visa-openness and investment migration are significant levers and can be used to positively impact and improve their passport ranking. It should be well used by the government for their economic progress.
