A Maltese passport is the ninth 'most powerful' in the world
The Maltese passport has come in joint ninth place in a list of the world's most powerful passports released by Henley and Partners
The Maltese passport has come in joint ninth place in a list of the world’s most powerful passports compiled by Henley and Partners, a global citizenship advisory firm.
Released on Wednesday, the index measures the world’s most travel-friendly passports, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access.
Malta is tied for ninth place along with New Zealand, Czechia, Canada and Australia with 183 points.
However, Malta’s passport has gone down in the index; having been ranked seventh in 2019.
Japan for the second year in a row, tops the list out of 191 destinations.
Top 10 passports
- Japan
- Singapore
- South Korea, Germany
- Italy, Finland
- Spain, Luxembourg, Denmark
- Sweden, France
- Switzerland, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland, Austria
- United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Greece, Belgium
- New Zealand, Malta, Czech Republic, Canada, Australia
- Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary
Ranked among the worst passports are Afghanistan, followed by Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Pakistan.
Henley and Partners were awarded a concession by the Maltese government to sell citizenship to wealthy foreigners. The controversial scheme, known as the Individual Investor Programme, requires the individual to pay a sum of money and invest in property and government bonds in exchange for Maltese citizenship.