The UAE has recently been ranked 11th in a survey of the world’s strongest passports, moving up two spots in the past year. An Emirati passport allows UAE citizens to visit 183 countries without needing to first obtain a visa.
In just ten years, the UAE showed the most significant growth in the world ranking, rising from 55th place to 44th. SInce 2014, the passport has only gotten stronger as the number of countries offering visa-free entry to citizens of the United Arab Emirates has increased by 106.
The annual passport index is decided based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This information set indicates the ease of which citizens from various countries can travel around the world. To determine which passports were the strongest, visa rules for nearly 230 countries were analysed.
As of 2024, there is a six-way tie for the number one spot between Germany, Spain, Italy, SIngapore, France and Japan. Citizens of these countries can enter a total of 194 countries without having to apply for a visa in advance.
As for the countries in the Arabian Gulf, the UAE scores the highest, putting it in 11th place, followed by Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia, albeit at a significantly lower ranking of 53, 55, 56, 60 and 61, respectively. Citizens from these Middle Eastern countries can enter between 89 and 108 countries without visas.
It is expected that by 2025, the UAE passport will have become even stronger, allowing Emirati citizens to freely visit even more countries.