Singapore, Japan now ranked world's most powerful passports in global index

THE Singapore passport has knocked Germany off the top spot as the world's most powerful, in a joint-ranking with Japan.

Citizens of both Singapore and Japan have visa-free access to a record number of 180 destinations, making them the most powerful passports in the world, according to the Henley Passport Index released on Wednesday.

In comparison, the Germany passport provides visa-free access to 179 destinations worldwide.

Singapore's and Japan's rise up the rankings comes after Uzbekistan lifted visa requirements for citizens of both countries earlier this month.

The lifting of visa requirements also applied to several other countries in Asia and the Middle East, including Turkey, Indonesia and Israel.

"In general, the Asian and Middle East regions have in recent months seen high levels of visa-policy activity compared with their European and American counterparts, where the signing of new cross-border agreements on short-term travel has been far less frequent," said Henley & Partners in a statement.

THE STRAITS TIMES