TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —Taiwan’s passport continued to remain strong, near the top 20% of a global passport index, indicating continued freedom of movement and visa-free access to many nations.
According to a report issued on Tuesday (Jan.10) by Henley and Partners, a global leader in residence and citizenship by investment, Taiwan’s passport dropped one position from last year’s ranking of 34 to 35 this year.
UDN also reported the passport rankings, noting that, for the fifth year running, Japan tops the Henley Passport Index with visa-free entry to 193 countries based upon official data from the International Air Transport Association. While other passport indexes exist, Henley’s remains the original ranking of world passports and the most respected.
As for which countries are at the bottom, this distinction belongs to Afghanistan, which continued to rank in last place with visa-free access to only 27 countries.
Henley’s ranking showed that Asian countries continued to remain at the top of the passport index though the passport strength of Persian Gulf countries continues to rise. For example, in the past 10 years, the ranking of the United Arab Emirates has risen sharply by 49 places.
And other Persian Gulf countries such as Kuwait and Qatar are also expected to sign visa-free agreements with the EU later this year, as their rankings are expected to rise further.
In a press release statement that coincided with the new passport rankings, Henley and Partners noted that “global travel is now at around 75% of pre-pandemic levels,”with the recent uptick associated with what some have termed “revenge travel.”
The term “revenge travel” generally refers to people seeking to make up for lost time due to the COVID pandemic, either rescheduling vacation plans cancelled by the pandemic, or simply pursuing their long awaited reunion with relatives with more vigor.
Henley and Partners add that the strength of a passport can afford individuals better economic mobility and access to more markets, which can be an appealing tool for investors. Conversely, weak passports are exacerbating ever-widening economic inequality and wealth disparity.
Taken in another context, Taiwan citizens should value their relative strength of passport as a gateway to fiscal opportunity and financial freedom, opening doors for many entrepreneurial opportunities.
