Nothing is more frustrating than having to apply for visa every time you wish to visit a country. In certain cases, it only increases the likelihood of the visa being denied. Imagine how annoying it is to be forced to cancel your holiday plans in that scenario. This explains why most people prefer having citizenship of countries they travel to. It’s best to have a look at the passports that impose minimum restrictions on travelers.
A global corporation and specialists in residence and citizenship planning, Henley & Partners, published their Visa Restrictions Index for year 2014. It contains a list of over 200 countries in regards to travel freedom for travelers The index takes into account various visa rulings from all across the world. This has been made in corroboration with International Air Transport Association that keeps the largest database of travel info. The researchers were particularly interested in counting the number of places citizens of each country could go without the need for a visa.
Passport holders from Germany, Finland, Sweden, United States and United Kingdom seem to enjoy distinct advantage compared to all the rest. Each of these secured the highest score of 174 which meant that they could visit 174 countries without having to obtain a visa. Second in place are citizens from Canada and Denmark with 173. Moreover, France, Belgium, Japan, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal South Korea and Spain are at the third spot with 172.
The fourth place is cemented by Ireland, Austria and Norway with 171 whereas New Zealand, Switzerland and Singapore are at the fifth spot with 170. Sitting at the bottom are Nepal at 90th, Palestine Territory at 91st, Pakistan and Somalia at 92nd, Iraq at 93rd and Afghanistan at the 95th spot. The passport ranking of citizens in Oman, Qatar and UAE also increased last year. Qatar and UAE went up to 56th place whereas Oman ascended to the 64th spot.
