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Having a passport that can access a large number of countries without the need of getting a visa, is a dream for many, in particular for passionate and adventurous travelers.
While many world citizens have the luck of holding such passports, like the Japanese, Italians, and Germans, others live with the pain of holding a passport that not only grants them visa-free access to a very limited number of countries, but some of these passports are also banned by various other countries, VisaGuide.World reports.
According to a recent Passport Index published by VisaGuide.World, which is the first ever to rank passports in a more comprehensive and accurate way, the passports of several world countries, are banned by some governments.
While some are banned from only one country, there are others banned in as many as 15 world countries.
The passports of the following countries are banned by only one other country:
The Syrian passport is banned in two countries – in Libya and Mali, whereas the Somalian one is banned in Canada and New Zealand.
Surprisingly, the United States passport is also banned in three world countries – Cuba, North Korea, and Syria. By three countries is banned the Palestinian passport too, which are Georgia, Madagascar, and Syria.
Regarding passport power, amongst these countries, the US passport ranks highest in the 37th position, while Malaysia sits in the 46th spot and Taiwan in 71st.
And while Armenia ranks 122nd, all the others rank at the bottom of the index, with Iran listed 184th, North Korea 190th, Sudan 191st, and Syria 198th.
The list of passports that are banned in other countries increases a bit when it comes to Russia and South Korea.
Currently, Russian passport holders cannot have access to six countries – Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. The reason behind such a ban is the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military. Most of these bans have been in place since September 2022.
The Russian passport lists as 94th in the list of the world’s best passports which is around the middle of the VisaGuide index. Its citizens can travel visa-free to 83 countries, with an electronic travel authorization to three, with a visa-on-arrival to 30, and with an eVisa to 11.
The South Korean passport, on the other hand, is banned in seven countries, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen. The same is listed as the 23rd most powerful passport in the world permitting its citizens to travel visa-free to as many as 137 world countries.
South Koreans also have access with an ETA to nine countries and can travel with an e-visa to eight, and with a visa-on-arrival to 41.
The two most widely banned passports in the world are those of Israel and the Republic of Kosovo. While the first is banned in 11 countries, the second is banned in 15, which means that the Kosovo passport is the most banned one in the world.
VisaGuide.World passport index shows that the passport of Israel is banned in Algeria, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen. The Israeli passport is, however, listed 56th among the world’s most powerful passports, which is quite a good spot.
The Kosovo passport, on the other hand, is banned in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cuba, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Moldova, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela.
Regarding passport strength, Kosovo, a Western Balkan country that became independent on February 17, 2008, is the most isolated country in Europe and one of the most isolated in the world. Only Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan perform worse than Kosovo in terms of passport strength.
Its citizens can travel to only 15 world countries completely visa-free, in which list are included its neighboring countries, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, as well as Türkiye, which is one of Kosovo’s independence biggest supports.
Seen from another angle, the United Arab Emirates has banned the highest number of world passports from accessing its territory. This list consists of:
The UAE passport, on the other hand, is listed as the world’s 33rd best, leaving behind passports of countries like Canada, the US, and Australia. Its citizens can travel visa-free to a total of 139 world countries, with a visa-on-arrival to 37, and another 14 with an e-visa. This makes the UAE passport the most powerful in the Middle East.
>> UAE Visa Requirements – How to Apply for Visa for Dubai?
The world’s strongest passports, on the other hand, are those of Singapore and Japan.
The Singaporean passport enables its holders to travel completely visa-free to a total of 158 world countries, to seven countries by obtaining an e-visa in advance, and to another 35 countries with a visa-on-arrival.
Japan is listed second, and its passport permits visa-free travel to 151 world countries, with an e-visa to five countries and with a visa-on-arrival to 42 others.
>> Kosovo Passport to Jump Around 90 Positions Higher in VisaGuide Index On Jan.1, 2024
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