S’pore & Japan’s Passports Are the Most Powerful Passports in the World

By
Shawn Ambrose
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Your passport, much like the 53 bottles of soya sauce you purchased after the circuit breaker was announced, has not been used for quite some time.

Since March 2020, travelling has been reduced to a fantasy, something people did long ago in another reality.

In that reality, going abroad was as easy as getting flight tickets and a visa and boarding a plane.

This whole time, our passports have been collecting dust in our drawers, some expiring, others disintegrating.

But now that leisure travel is gradually resuming, our passports may once again become useful.

And the good news is that ours is a particularly powerful one.

S’pore & Japan’s Passports Are the Most Powerful Passports in the World

Singaporeans and Japanese citizens have the most powerful passports in the world, according to the latest report by the Henley Passport Index.

Based on data from the International Air Transport Association(IATA), Singapore has moved up a spot from the second place since April’s report, when Japan secured the top spot.

Tied at second place are Germany and South Korea, while Finland, Luxembourg, Italy, and Spain clinched third place.

What Does it Mean to Have a Powerful Passport?

The index assesses the countries based on the number of destinations their passport holders can visit without getting a visa in advance.

Singaporeans and Japanese citizens can travel to 192 destinations without a prior visa, which is why they claimed the first spot on the list.

Meanwhile, those from Afghanistan and Iraq can travel to 26 and 28 places respectively, putting them at the bottom of the index.

This means that the gap in travel freedom is at its widest since the index was launched in 2006, as citizens in Singapore and Japan can travel to 166 more destinations than Afghan citizens without a prior visa.

The full index can be viewed here. 

Singapore Extending Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL) Scheme to 8 More Countries From 19 Oct

Singapore couldn’t have picked a better time to clinch a first place on the index.

Last Saturday (9 Oct), Transport Minister S Iswaran announced that Singapore is extending its VTL scheme to eight more countries.

From 19 Oct, vaccinated travellers will be able to fly to Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Britain, and the United States.

The number of required PCR tests for travellers entering Singapore will also be reduced from four to two.

This means that a pre-departure test and on-arrival test will suffice.

Singapore has already launched VTLs with Brunei and Germany, with another one with South Korea to kick in on 15 Nov.

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]