Romanian passport ranks 13th most powerful in the world in quarterly ranking

Romania secured its 13th spot in a quarterly ranking of the world's most powerful passports. Six countries are tied for first place.

According to the Henley Passport Index, citizens of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain can enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 194 destinations worldwide, the highest number recorded since the index began tracking global travel freedoms 19 years ago.

Finland and Sweden are tied with South Korea for second place - with easy access to 193 destinations, while Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands occupy the third place (with 192 destinations). Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom are in fourth place, while Greece, Malta, and Switzerland are in fifth. Australia and New Zealand have improved their rankings and are now in sixth place, alongside the Czech Republic and Poland.

Meanwhile, the United States and Canada are tied for seventh place, along with Hungary, with visa-free access to 188 destinations, according to the ranking, cited by G4Media.

Romania remains in 13th place, where it was last summer, but the number of destinations that can be reached with a Romanian passport has increased from 176 to 179. Romania started 2023 in 17th place, and throughout the entire year 2023 it was ranked 14th. In 2006, Romania’s passport was ranked 34th.

The global mobility gap between those at the top and bottom of the index is now greater than ever, according to Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners. “The average number of destinations that travelers can access without a visa has almost doubled, from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024,” he says. “However, countries ranked at the top of the index now have the possibility to travel visa-free to 166 more destinations than Afghanistan, which is at the bottom of the ranking, with access to only 28 countries without a visa.”

Created by the London-based global citizenship and residency consultancy firm Henley & Partners, the index uses exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association. Asian nations Japan and Singapore have dominated the top spot for the past five years, but European countries have made a comeback in the most recent ranking.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos / Alexandru Busca