Romanian passport among 20 most powerful in the world

The Romanian passport ranked 16th in the world, offering visa-free access to 174 travel destinations, according to the 2022 Henley Passport Index.

The passport tied those of Chile and Monaco and maintained its position obtained in last year’s ranking. The Romanian passport also retained the same number of destinations for visa-free travel as in 2021.

Japan occupied first place in the 2022 Passport Index. Its citizens can travel to 193 destinations without a visa. Passports issued by Singapore and South Korea tied for second, both allowing access to 192 destinations.

Germany and Spain tied for third with 190 destinations each, while the Finnish, Italian and Luxembourgish passports allow access to 189 destinations.

There are numerous ties in the ranking. The 5th and 6th spots are occupied by 8 European countries, with four on each spot. Five countries tied for 7th, and another five 8th.

Having a powerful passport does not automatically lead to traveling more. In fact, the report accompanying the ranking notes that those with the strongest passports are the most restricted and reluctant to enjoy the freedom of travel today due to the pandemic.

International passenger demand in the Asia-Pacific region is up, but still only at 17% of pre-Covid levels, despite the opening up of most countries. Concern over an impending recession and the question of China’s border reopening make a challenging climate for tourism and travel.

Travel fares much better in Europe and North America, where mobility levels have reached 60% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the British firm, cited by Profit.ro.

The UK (187) and US (186) dropped one spot in this year’s ranking, while Russia climbed two, reaching 50th, having, in theory, access to 119 destinations. In reality, Russians are facing severe travel limitations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

(Photo source: Akeksandr Berdyugin | Dreamstime.com)