Qatari passport improves ranking by 14 places

It now ranks at 45th position in the Henley Passport Index, climbing 14 places from 59th in July last year. The current rankings of 199 passports are for the first quarter of 2022.  

The Qatari passport has improved its worldwide acceptance and rating compared to 2021 according to a new ranking.

It now ranks at 45th position in the Henley Passport Index, climbing 14 places from 59th in July last year. The current rankings of 199 passports are for the first quarter of 2022.  

The Henley Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations its holders can access without a prior visa. 

It is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the largest, most accurate travel information database.

The report  says Qatar passport holders can visit 51 destinations worldwide without obtaining a visa, and 40 countries issue visa on arrival. Meanwhile, Qatar passport holders require visas for 103 nations. 

Qatar now has obtained a mobility score of 95 per cent in the report. 

Japan and Singapore rank first with visa-free access to 192 destinations. Germany and South Korea ranked second with visa-free access to 190 destinations. Both countries have a mobility score of 189. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain are all tied in third place with a score of 189. 

EU countries dominate the the list, with France, Netherlands, and Sweden climbing one spot to join Austria and Denmark in fourth place with a score of 188. Ireland and Portugal are in fifth place with a mobility score of 187.

Several countries with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to fewer than 40 countries are ranked as having the worst passports. The Afghani passport ranks least on the index with a mobility score of 26.

The ranking report says that despite the pandemic, overall travel freedom levels have hugely expanded over the past couple of decades. In 2006 an individual could, visit 57 countries without a visa. At present, that number has almost doubled to 107. 

However, these new concessions are primarily enjoyed by Europe, North America, and some Asian nation passports holders.

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