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Guess where the Philippines ranks? Spoiler alert: We are not in the top 10, nor even in the top 50.
& # 39; STRONGER & # 39; IN THE WORLD. Japanese passport holders have visa-free or visa-free access upon arrival in most countries of the world. Shutterstock image
MANILA, Philippines – Have you ever dreamed of going to almost any country of your choice without worrying about the visa requirements and the dreaded visa fees?
For Japanese citizens, flying almost everywhere is not a dream, it's a reality. According to the 2018 Henley Passport Index, Japan is the "strongest" passport in the world, which means that Japanese passport holders enjoy the largest number of visas without visas or visas on arrival for most destinations (190). Singapore, with access without visa or visa on arrival to 189 destinations.
France, Germany and South Korea arrive in third position with visa-free or visa-on arrival for 188 destinations.
According to its website, Henley Passport Index ranks all passports in the world according to the number of countries that its holders can visit without a visa. "The ranking is based on proprietary data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which manages the world's largest and most comprehensive travel information database, and is strengthened. through in-depth internal research, "he said.
The rest of the 10 strongest passports include European countries, plus Malaysia. The United States and the United Kingdom are both ranked 5th with access to 186 destinations.
But where are our own Philippines? We are ranked 75th alongside Azerbaijan, the Dominican Republic and Tunisia, which means we only have access to 66 countries without a visa or on arrival. Frequent Filipino travelers will not be surprised by this situation and are certainly too familiar with the difficulties and uncertainties of applying for visas to visit foreign countries.
TRAVEL WITHOUT VISA? The Philippines, unfortunately, does not have the same luck as their Asian neighbors. Recall Photo File
In Southeast Asia, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei have the strongest passports and are all in the top 20 worldwide.
Henley highlighted at least two countries that did not rank high, but have made huge progress over the years – China and the United Arab Emirates. While Chinese nationals had access to two new areas without a visa or on arrival, they always slipped to the bottom of the list to rank 71st. "It's still an impressive improvement of 14 places compared to the position occupied by China in early 2017," the site noted.
The UAE, meanwhile, is now the strongest in the Middle East, rising from 62nd place in 2006 to 21st in the 2018 index.
What is the purpose of the ranking, you can ask? The Henley Index helps people "discover how to maximize their freedom of travel through citizenship by investment".
"With the Henley & Partners – Kochenov index of the quality of nationality, the Henley Passport index is considered the most credible reference tool of the investment migration sector", a- he declared. – Rappler.com
Image of Shutterstock's Japanese passport
