Greece has the eighth most powerful passport in the world, according to a new report, giving its citizens access to 185 countries.
The ranking is equal with Australia, Canada, Malta and the Czech Republic in the latest Henley Passport Index. This quarterly report compares the visa-free access of 199 different passports top 227 travel destinations.
The report is prepared by Henley & Partners, the London-based advisory firm specialising in global citizenship and residence.
Greek Passport Remains Strong
Greece’s ranking tops Cyprus (15th), Hungary (9th), Romania (16th), and Bulgaria and Croatia, which both came in 17th.
The Greek passport has remained a strong one, and a similar report from Henley in January and April 2021 also ranked the Greek passport as the eighth most powerful.
Japan remains the most powerful passport, according to the report, with its citizens having access to 194 countries. Singapore and South Korea were second with access to 192 countries; Germany and Spain were third with access to 190 countries, and Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg all came in fourth with access to 189 countries.
Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden were all fifth, allowing these passport holders access to 188 countries.
The United Kingdom was sixth with access to 187 countries while the United States was seventh with these passport holders being granted access to 186 countries. Both of those countries shared first place in a 2014 report, but the power of their passports has since fallen.
In the latest report, Russia (listed as the Russian Federation) was 50th, with access to 119 countries. Since its invasion of Ukraine began in late February, Russia has been an international pariah and been subjected to numerous sanctions.
The bottom five on Henley’s latest ranking are: Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, which has the weakest passport. Its citizens have access to only 27 countries.
Henley’s quarterly report comes as Greece announced that new passports issued to its citizens would be valid for ten years, up from the current five years. The Henley Passport Index has been issued since 2006.
