These are the passports that open the most doors
If this summer you plan to spend your holidays in any of the countries of the European Union or, well, in Iceland, Andorra or Norway, you will only need to bring your DNI. However, to travel to some destinations you will need Carry your passport, although in certain cases that document that proves your nationality will not be enough.
For example, if you want to know Equatorial Guinea, Cuba or Russia, you have to take into account that you will need to get a visa , or if you plan to discover Australia or Canada **you will need to get an ETA** (Electronic Travel Authorization).
But, how many countries can I enter with that burgundy book without having to request additional documents? Which citizens of the world are the most benefited by the advantages of their passport?
Passport Index , a website created by the consultancy Arton Capital, maintains up-to-date information on the passports of 199 countries (all 193 members of the United Nations, plus Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Kosovo, Palestine, and the Vatican) so we can compare which are the most powerful when making a tourist trip.
Which ones open the most doors?
THE MAXIMUM: 159 COUNTRIES
According to the Passport Index, The Spanish passport allows us to access a total of 157 countries counting those that do not require any type of additional documentation, those that require the digital entry permit ETA or ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization for its acronym in English) and those that require the so-called visa on arrival (a visa direct that you get at the airport). At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs you can find information about the documents you need to travel to each country.
You will be curious to know that our biometric passport opens many more doors for us than others. Passport Index indicates that we occupy the third position of the countries that open the most borders with their passport , although we share the square with Denmark, Finland, Italy, France, Norway, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom.
However, the situation of the latter in the ranking could undergo changes both for the British and for the Europeans who travel to visit them. When Brexit takes effect in March 2019, we will likely need to use a passport to visit the UK and may even need a visa.
Now, which passports are the ones that open the most doors? Two countries are vying for the podium, Germany and Singapore, since their passports allow travel to 159 countries without a visa. They are followed by Sweden and South Korea, which allow their citizens to travel to 158 countries.
Germany takes the cake
The map by region of this index allows us to discover that the Travelers from the Middle East and Africa are the ones who have to go through the most paperwork to move to other countries. Specifically, Syrian, Iraqi, Pakistani and Afghan passports are those that facilitate entry to a smaller number of states (30, 26, 25 and 22 respectively) .
Added to this is the controversial United States immigration ban on citizens from several Muslim-majority countries located in those areas. The Government of Donald Trump has just begun to apply the latest version of the decree, partially approved by the Supreme Court, which requires a close kinship or employment relationship for visa applicants from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Yemen in order to gain access to the North American country.
In addition, Spaniards traveling to the United States did not need a visa until recently to go on vacation, but only to obtain the electronic authorization (ESTA). However, due to Trump's immigration policies, If you have traveled to Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen after March 1, 2011, you will not be able to travel with the ESTA, but will have to apply for a visa.
Another ranking carried out by Henley&Partners and which takes into account more destinations with their own passport (218 in particular) reaches similar conclusions to that of the Passport Index. The German passport continues to lead his study (allows access to 176 countries without a visa) and Spain is also in third place (174 countries).
The world's passports are divided into four colors
THE PASSPORT THAT ONLY 500 PEOPLE HAVE
Beyond giving us an idea of which are the most powerful passports, the ranking of ** Passport Index allows us to know the differences in the physiognomy of one and the other.** If you have never noticed it, it may be interesting for you to know that the 199 passports **are of four colors**, mainly (red, green, blue and black) although each one has different shades.
Thus, while most passports in the European Union are burgundy (although it is rumored that those of the United Kingdom could return to being dark blue after Brexit), those of the Caribbean Community are usually blue.
Surprisingly, there are some countries that have even decided to issue passports that, in addition to showing images of buildings or national historical figures on their pages, They have an original and fun design. This is the case of the Finnish one, which in 2012 began to include drawings of a moose in different postures. If we quickly turn its pages, we will believe that the animal is walking.
There are other official notebooks destined to travel the world that are not curious because of their design, but because of their exclusivity. This is the case of the **a Sovereign and Military Order of Malta**, a Catholic religious order born in the twelfth century.
Converted into a State without territory, it maintains diplomatic relations with more than a hundred countries and issues its own stamps and passports. Now, for the time being, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta has issued only 500 passports in total. Surprisingly, in Spain your diplomatic passport is a valid document for crossing borders and is exempt from the visa requirement.
As you have been able to verify, some passports are more powerful than others: our nationality will influence the color of the notebook and the number of countries that we can access only with it when we travel.
Have a good trip!