UAE passport is now the most powerful in the world

socialkanduraeditor20 Jun 20231 Mins read

A new index has ranked the UAE passport as the most powerful in the world. An annual ranking compiled by offshore consulting firm Nomad Capitalist has ranked the UAE passport first in the world, moving up more than 30 places from the previous year. (Slow claps)

The Emirati passport was ranked No. 35 in the 2022 index, but it has since risen to the top spot, thanks to its reputation worldwide, ability to enter 181 countries without a visa, and lack of income taxes.

The Nomad Passport Index evaluates five factors, each with a different score, as opposed to the Henley Passport Index, which ranked the UAE passport at 15 this year based solely on the number of places holders can access without a prior visa. Travel without a visa, taxation of citizens, perceptions around the world, openness to granting dual citizenship, and individual freedom are among them.

“The UAE has entered the top ten for the first time this year, jumping straight to number one from 35th last year. This is largely due to recent changes allowing foreigners to apply for dual citizenship, which, combined with the travel freedoms afforded by a UAE passport, plus the country’s business-friendly environment and enviable tax system, puts the UAE top of our list for 2023,” the report said.

There are no other Middle Eastern passports among the top 20, with Ireland and Portugal tied for fourth and Luxembourg and Switzerland tied for second. Germany and Czech Republic came in sixth, while New Zealand secured the 8th position, followed by Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands, all ranked in the 9th place.

Based on data compiled from nearly 20 “unique” sources, Nomad Capitalist ranked the passports according to priorities it believes are significant to current and prospective residents of each country.

Each nation received a score based on at least five factors: visa-free travel (50%), citizen taxation (20%), perception (10%), dual citizenship (10%), and personal freedom (10%).

With visa-free travel to 178 countries, the UAE passport took 16th place in Henley & Partners’ passport index for 2023.