UAE among world’s powerful passports, GCC countries lead Arab region

The UAE has ranked high on the list of the most powerful passports in the world, with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries leading the rest of the Arab world, according to the latest edition of the Henley Passport Index.

The report, published on Tuesday, is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

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The UAE ranked 12th globally, given that its citizens can travel visa-free to 179 out of 227 destinations.

“The UAE has added an impressive 107 destinations to its visa-free score since 2013, resulting in a massive leap of 44 places in the ranking over the past 10 years from 56th to 12th position,” Chairman of Henley & Partners Dr. Christian H. Kaelin said in the report.

“This is almost double the next biggest climber, Colombia,” he added.

The UAE is followed by Qatar (rankng 52), Kuwait (ranking 54), Bahrain (ranking 59), Oman (ranking 60), and Saudi Arabia (ranking 61).

The report notes that GCC countries have generally displayed higher-than-average shifts towards increased openness in recent years. However, the countries can improve their rankings by adjusting visa schemes, enacting reforms, and launching new initiatives.

In May 2023, Bahrain’s Minister of Tourism announced that the Gulf countries are reviewing plans to launch a regional Schengen-style tourist visa.

The Henley Passport Index cited Dr. Robert Mogielnicki, a Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, as saying that such a move would potentially boost the rankings of several GCC countries even more and place the entire region more firmly in the global spotlight.

A strong passport does more than define freedom of movement, it also “provides significant financial freedoms in terms of international investment and business opportunities,” Kaelin said.

“Global connectivity and access have become indispensable features of wealth creation and preservation, and its value will only grow as geopolitical volatility and regional instability increase,” the chairman said.

Among Arab countries, Iraq has the weakest passport and ranks second-weakest in the world, ahead of Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Syria ranked 101, Yemen and Somalia ranked 99, the Palestinian territory ranked 98, Libya ranked 95, Lebanon ranked 93, and Sudan ranked 92.

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