UAE Tops Passport Ranking in Arab World

Dubai: UAE nationals have the “most powerful” passport in the Arab world as they enjoy the widest range of visa-free entry compared to their peers. A new online index, put together by financial company Arton Capital, ranks more than100 passports from around the world based on the number of countries that holders can visit, without getting a travel permit in advance.
Ranked 47th globally, the UAE passport fares best in the Arab region. It allows Emirati nationals to travel to 72 countries without an advance visa. Qatar is the second most powerful passport, which provides easy access to 66 countries. Kuwait is third on the list, with access to 64 countries, while Saudi Arabia and Bahrain take the fourth spot, with access to 61 countries. Taking the fifth place is Oman, which provides access to 54 countries. Among those at the bottom of the list in the Arab world are Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Passport Index by Arton Capital is an online interactive tool that collects, displays and ranks the world’s passports. The ranking is based on points accumulated for each country that the passport holder can travel visa-free. United States and United Kingdom are ranked first, followed by France, Germany and South Korea. The bottom-ranked passports are those of the Solomon Islands, Myanmar (Burma), South Sudan, Sao Tome and Principe.