German passport is one of the most powerful in the world – last year's winner crashes

Anyone with a German passport can consider themselves lucky: According to a recent survey, the wine-red booklet is one of the most powerful travel documents in the world. In the so-called “Passport Index”, which compares passports around the world, the document issued by the Federal Republic ranks first, together with Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Ireland (as of September 8).

Holders of such passports can enter 123 countries without a visa or with a "visa on arrival" (stamp directly on entry). The Belgian passport is even more powerful with 91 countries without a visa (Germany: 90) and 32 countries with "visa on arrival" (Germany: 33).

The most powerful passports in the world in the "Passport Index":

  • 1st place: 123 countries – Belgium, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Ireland
  • 2nd place: 122 countries – Sweden, France, Finland, Italy, Spain, Japan, New Zealand
  • 3rd place: 121 countries – Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Lithuania, Norway, Iceland, Australia
  • 4th place: 120 countries – Malta, Slovenia, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Great Britain, South Korea, Canada
  • 5th place: 119 countries – Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Poland, Hungary
  • 6th place: 118 countries – Slovakia
  • 7th place: 116 countries – Cyprus, Croatia
  • 8th place: 115 countries – Romania, Bulgaria, Monaco
  • 9th place: 110 countries – San Marino
  • 10th place: 109 countries: Andorra

Citizens of the United Arab Emirates still held the most powerful passport in the world last year. In the course of the corona crisis, however, some countries closed their borders for them. You are now in 14th place.

The United States also crashed. With only 85 countries to which US citizens can enter without a visa or with "visa on arrival", the USA occupies 20th place. The USA shares 20th place with Singapore, a country that traditionally ranked higher .

The reason for the poor performance is the corona pandemic. As a result, numerous countries have closed their borders.

Which countries are most affected by entry restrictions:

  • 1st place: USA -86
  • 2nd place: Singapore -84
  • 3rd place: Chile -83
  • 4th place: Argentina -81
  • 5th place: United Arab Emirates, Brazil -80
  • Rank 6: Hong Kong -78
  • 7th place: Malaysia, Brunei -77
  • 8th place: Israel -76
  • 9th place: Mexico -74
  • 10th place: Taiwan -71

The advantage for Germany and the other EU countries is that travel within the EU is permitted. Numerous non-EU countries such as the USA cannot currently enter without a visa.

A travel warning still applies

Even if it is theoretically possible to enter many countries without a visa, the Federal Foreign Office still warns against unnecessary tourist trips abroad. The travel warning was last extended to September 14th. All EU states and the Schengen states Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, as well as Great Britain, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican State are excluded.

It is also important for travelers whether countries or certain areas are listed as corona risk areas – the Robert Koch Institute maintains an up-to-date list. Anyone entering Germany from a corona risk area must go into quarantine or submit a negative corona test. This regulation will be tightened from October: travelers returning from risk areas should be able to take a corona test after five days at the earliest;