German passport world's strongest, India ranks 78th

DUBAI: Germany stands at the top with a visa free score of 157, while Singapore overtakes South Korea and becomes the highest ranked Asian passport with a visa free score of 156. Afghanistan’s is the least powerful passport with a visa free score of just 23. The latest edition of the Arton Capital’s global ranking ‘Passport Index’ is based on cross-border access of national passports.

India stands at 78th position with a visa free score of 46, ahead of China and Pakistan which are ranked 58th and 94th respectively.

The online interactive tool, which collects, displays and ranks the passports globally assigns a visa free score” according to the number of countries a passport holder can visit visa free or with visa on arrival. “The desire to improve one’s opportunity and security for their family transcends borders. As such, having a second citizenship has never been more relevant,” said John Hanafin, CEO of Arton Capital. The newly added ‘World Openness Score’ (WOS) tracks the progression of freedom of mobility across the globe. The WOS in 2016 was 17,925. In the first month of 2017, the score has already increased to 17,948. “This trend shows opening of borders but will it continue? With the recent backlash against globalisation and ongoing immigration issues, the World Openness Score may be in danger of decline,” the report said.

In recent years, citizenship by investment has become a $2 billion industry, with over 20,000 investors seeking a second residency or citizenship around the globe every year.