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Germany has ‘second most powerful passport in the world’

The Local Germany
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Germany has ‘second most powerful passport in the world’
Photo: DPA

Germany has the second most powerful passport in the world, according to a new index which ranks the level of visa-free access passports provide to their holders.

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Global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners produces the Henley Passport Index each year using data from the International Air Transport Association.

The 2018 edition ranked Germany's passport as the second best in the world as it provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 188 countries, more than that of international heavyweights like the UK, US and China.

Singapore tied Germany for second. The ranking put the Bundesrepublik ahead of Italy which shared third place with Finland, France, Spain, Sweden and South Korea, by having access to 187 countries. Japan was first (189).

READ ALSO: How to become German, or at least stay in Germany forever

Schengen Area countries have traditionally topped the index due to providing open access to large parts of Europe, Henley & Partners noted, but Asian countries are catching up thanks to strengthened international trade and diplomatic relations.

One European country that could see its position in the ranking weaken in the coming years is the UK, with Brexit potentially making trips abroad more complicated.

The Henley index surveys 199 different passports and the access they provide to 227 different destinations.

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