The best passports to hold in 2023, find out where yours is on the list

A new global index has revealed the best passports to have in 2023. According to the Daily Mail report Luxembourg was at number one with the most powerful passport for two years in a row. This year, surprisingly the United Arab Emirates (UAE) takes top spot. UAE got the pole position mainly because the passport allows for citizens to travel without a visa to quite a few countries.

Best Passports

All the countries were ranked based on the following criteria; visa free travel opportunities, taxation of citizens, dual citizenship possibilities, perception and personal freedom. The top 10 passports are as follows:

UAE
Luxembourg
Switzerland
Ireland
Portugal
Germany
Czech Republic
New Zealand
Sweden
Finland

The UAE was in the number one spot scoring a total of 110.50 in all five categories. Surprisingly this was the first time it entered the top top. It ranked 35 in 2022 and 38 in 2021. The main reason for the climb is because of the country’s visa-free travel privileges to most places. 181 countries in total and with no income tax which make it very appealing for global citizens.

The United Kingdom fell behind this year at number 30 but it was still ahead of both Australia and the US which were at number 38 and 43 respectively. Although the UK passport is still considered one of the best in the world, it is unlikely it will ever be in the top 10 again.

At the bottom of the list, not surprisingly was Afghanistan with a score of only 26.50 points. The country continues to appear unstable as Taliban returned to power in 2021, some 20 years after being ousted by the United States Army.

Where does Singapore and its neighbouring countries in Asia rank?