Singapore
Its ranking was upgraded in a passport index by global financial advisory firm Arton Capital after Ukraine extended visa-on-arrival travel to passport holders of countries including Singapore.
SINGAPORE: Singapore has tied with Germany as the country with the most powerful passport in the world after a change in Ukraine’s visa rules, according to a passport index by global financial advisory firm Arton Capital.
The index previously ranked Singapore’s passport as the second-most powerful globally in its last update on Jan 12.
Revisions to Ukraine’s visa rules, which included Singapore among countries whose passport holders only need to obtain visa-on-arrival for travel of up to 15 days, came into effect last Sunday (Apr 16).
This increased Singapore’s total visa-free score from 158 to 159, Arton Capital said on its website.
Germany still trumps Singapore’s score in terms of visa-free travel, however. The Passport Index score consists of a score for visa-free travel and a score for visa-on-arrival, with visa-free travel weighing more, according to the financial advisory firm.
Germany’s score of 159 comprises a visa-free score of 125 and a visa-on-arrival score of 34, while Singapore’s 159 comprises a visa-free score of 122 and a visa-on-arrival score of 37.
Arton Capital, which updates the index every year, specialises in investor programmes for residence and citizenship.
In a similar ranking by the Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index released last year, Singapore was ranked joint-fifth in travel freedom for the third year in a row. Germany came up tops in Henley & Partners’ 2016 index as well.
