According to the annual list compiled by offshore consulting firm Nomad Capitalist, the UAE passport has become the most powerful in the world, having jumped more than 30 places from the previous year.
The Emirati passport was ranked No. 35 on the 2022 index but has now reached the top spot due to various factors, including visa-free entry to 181 countries, no income taxes, global reputation, willingness to grant dual citizenship, and personal freedom.
Unlike the Henley Passport Index, which ranks passports based on the number of destinations holders can access without obtaining a prior visa, the Nomad Passport Index considers five factors and assigns different scores. The UAE’s recent policy changes that allow foreigners to apply for dual citizenship, coupled with the travel freedoms and favorable tax system, contributed to its ascent to the top of the list.
Nomad Capitalist’s director of operations and sales, Jovana Vojinovic, hailed the UAE passport as the “winner of the decade,” having added 106 new visa-free countries in the past decade. Vojinovic also praised the UAE’s liberal visa policies, openness to foreigners and investment, and the influx of wealthy individuals who have moved there, which has improved the country’s perception in the past year.
The top five passports on the Nomad Passport Index include the UAE, followed by Luxembourg and Switzerland tied for second, and Ireland and Portugal tied for fourth. No other Middle Eastern passports appear in the top 20.
The most powerful passports in the world, according to Nomad Capitalist
- UAE: 111 total score
- Luxembourg: 108
- Switzerland: 108
- Ireland: 108
- Portugal: 108
- Germany: 107
- Czech Republic: 107
- New Zealand: 107
- Sweden: 106
- Finland: 106
- The Netherlands: 106
