Bahrain’s passport ranks fourth in GCC, 41st globally
TDT | Manama
Bahraini passport has been ranked fourth among the Gulf Cooperation Council nations and 41st among world nations in the latest ranking of Arton Capital’s Passport Index.
The ranking which lists 193 united nation members and six territories ranks Bahrain based on the number of countries its holders can visit without applying for a visa.
On the index, Bahrain is preceded by UAE on 13th, Israel on 31st, Qatar at 34th and Kuwait at 36th position globally, where New Zealand passport has emerged as the ‘most powerful’ travel document worldwide. Following Bahrain from the GCC on the list are Saudi at 44th and Oman at 45th ranks.
Bahrain 6th in Mideast
On a regional basis, Bahraini passport ranks sixth among mid- dle eastern nations, where the United Arab Emirates enjoys the top rank. Turkish, Israeli, Qatari and Kuwait travel documents take the subsequent spots.
Bahrain climbs up a spot to the fifth position when it comes to the rankings among MENA countries. Here also the United Arab Emirates continues to enjoy the top ranks and is followed by Israel, Qatar and Kuwait.
Mobility score of Bahrain is 69
The index ranks the most powerful passport of the world based on factors including mobility score, visa requirements, electronic authorisation and world openness score.
Bahrain has a mobility score of 69, where citizens have visa-free access to 30 destinations and easy visa on arrival access to 38 nations. Bahraini citizens are required to apply for a visa to travel to 129 destinations around the globe.
To bring that into perspective, know that citizens of the UAE have access to 103 destinations, of which 54 offer visa-free access and 48 nations provide on-arrival visa entry. UAE citizens should apply for a visa to enter the rest of the 95 countries around the globe.
The UAE is followed by Kuwait whose citizens have access to 74 destinations, where 34 nations provide visa-free access and 38 offers on-arrival visas. Rest of the 124 world nations require Kuwaitis to apply for a travel visa before entering there.
Omanis have access to 65 destinations around the world, where 25 countries offer visa-free access and 37 on-arrival visas. Over-all 133 nations around the globe require Omanis to apply for a travel document ahead of travelling there.
Saudi Arabian citizens have access to 66 world destinations, of which 26 nations provide visa-free access and 37 nations on-arrival visa entry. Rest of the 132 countries around the world require Saudi citizens to apply for a visa before their travel.
US passport slips
Earlier, Japan shared the top position with New Zealand. However, it has now slipped back to the second position. Currently, New Zealand has visa-free access or visa on entry to 129 countries and regions. Sharing the second spot with Japan on the list are Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, Luxembourg, South Korea, and Australia. On the third spot are Sweden, France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Finland whereas India ranks 58th on the list.
Japanese citizens have access to 128 visa-free or visa on arrival destinations. Spanish citizens have 127 such destinations, United Kingdom 126 destinations and Slovenia, known for its mountains, Ski resorts and Lake Bled, to several nations. Slovenia shares the fifth spot with fellow European nations Malta and Latvia. Passport holders of all the three countries can travel to 125 destinations.
The ranking says the US passport has dropped to the 21st due to the poor handling of COVID-19 as not many countries and regions welcome US travellers.
The countries in the European Union also managed into hanging around in the top 10, the report points out, as most of the countries retain access to the Schengen ‘free movement’ zone with few COVID-19 restrictions.
Arton Capital updates the index in real-time as new visa waivers and changes happen across the world amid COVID-19 travel bans.
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