Hungary has one of the most powerful passports in the world

The London-based investment migration consultancy Henley & Partners has published its most recent passport ranking.

As usual, the Hungarian passport is again ranked high on the list, reports the Hungarian news site index.hu. The list is updated quarterly, with 199 different passports and 277 destinations examined during the ranking process.

The Henley Passport Index shows how many destinations a country’s passport can allow its holders to enter without a prior visa. Countries are given points based on this criterion. The data was provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) to help prepare the list.

Japan and Singapore on the top

Japanese and Singapore passports tied for first place. Japanese and Singapore passports allow travellers to enter 193 countries without a visa. South Korea is ranked second. South Korea is not far from first place, with passports valid for 192 countries.

Among European countries, German and Spanish passports are the most powerful. They tied for third place. From both countries, travellers can visit 191 different destinations with their passports. Although the first two places are occupied by Asian countries, the list is dominated by EU countries from third to seventh place.

• Read also: Great news! Wizz Air to offer new exotic destinations next year

Hungary in the top 10

Hungary is among the highest ranking of more than 100 countries. The Hungarian passport has earned ninth place, which takes it into the top 10. In total, Hungarian passports can be used to travel to 185 countries without a visa. Poland also came in ninth place, with 185 destinations accessible with its passport.

Penzcentrum.hu recalls that Hungary’s passport has strengthened a lot in the last 10 years. Although in 2013 it was only 2 places behind the current ranking, the number of countries accepting Hungarian passports was only 157. However, it is also worth noting that at that time, the first-place holder only scored 173 points, which would now only be enough to achieve the 19th place.

The top 10 most powerful passports are the followings:

1. Japan, Singapore – 193
2. South-Korea – 192
3. Germany, Spain – 191
4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg – 190
5. Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden – 189
6. France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom – 188
7. Belgium, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States – 187
8. Australia, Canada, Greece, Malta – 186
9. Hungary, Poland – 185
10. Lithuania, Slovakia – 184

Read alsoNew routes to start from Budapest Airport this spring

Source: index.hu, penzcentrum.hu