If you’ve been thinking about getting a dual passport, now may be the perfect time to do so. The London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners has released its list of the most powerful passports for 2024, and there are six new countries at the very top of the leaderboard.
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For the first time ever, six countries tied for number one—but over 25 countries were recognized for being in the top six overall. Spanning three continents and two oceans, these countries are an eclectic blend of sandy beaches, jaw-dropping cliffs, and skyscrapers. And their passports are highly coveted.
Dubbed “The Henley Passport Index,” the list features a comprehensive ranking of all the world’s passports in hierarchy of how many destinations their holders can visit sans a visa, per the firm’s website. The research team at Henley & Partners has been at this for nearly two decades, using exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to deduce the destinations with the highest global mobility.
For this year’s list, the team analyzed 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. So, where does your passport fall on the index?
The six most powerful passports in the world, all tied for number one, are France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain, whose passport holders can visit 194 destinations around the globe. Finland, Sweden, and South Korea aren’t trailing far behind in second place, at 193 destinations.
Meanwhile, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands are ranked third. Citizens of those countries have access to 192 destinations without a visa.
Countries in fourth, fifth, and sixth place continue to decrease in increments of one. Being a Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, or the United Kingdom passport holder will get you into 191 destinations. At 190 destinations, a passport from Greece, Malta, and Switzerland.
In sixth place is Australia, New Zealand, Czechia, and Poland with 189 destinations. The United States is ranked seventh—with 188 destinations possible—alongside Hungary and our neighbors to the north, Canada.
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If you’re looking to improve your global mobility in 2024, you may be considering getting a second passport in another country. For those living in the U.S., getting dual passports or dual citizenship can be done one of two ways.
If you’re already an U.S. citizen, you’ll first have to find out whether the other country you’re applying for “recognizes dual citizenship with the United States,” per guidelines listed by the government's official website. That can be done by contacting their embassy. Requirements, documents, and timelines, may vary by country, so be sure to check that country’s citizenship page for accurate information.
If you’re a citizen of another country hoping to gain U.S. citizenship, you must immigrate and become a permanent U.S. resident. Then you may become eligible for citizenship.
But as mentioned, not all countries may recognize dual U.S. citizenship. This means you may have to surrender citizenship in another country. Before you get started, the federal government website suggests speaking with your country’s embassy for specifics.
