UAE has one of world’s top 25 most powerful passports

The United Arab Emirates was named the GCC’s (Gulf Cooperation Council) most powerful passport on 31 August, implying that its citizens can visit the most number of countries without a visa than any other country in the Gulf region.

The UAE government received a certificate granted by the passport index during a ceremony.

The Passport Index, which was devised by Arton Capital, a residence and citizenship advisor, grades national passports by the number of countries they have access to visit easily.

The passports of the UAE have a visa-free score of 128, ranking them among the top 25 passports of the world.

The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has been given the credit for this achievement, as it initiated the process to improve the power of its passport in the last few months, allowing Emiratis to travel visa-free to more countries than was the case earlier.

In 2017 alone, it signed visa-free agreements with Argentina and Brazil and the stage is set to sign the same with 18 more countries.

Ahmed Al Dhaheri, the ministry's assistant under-secretary for consular affairs, was quoted by The National as saying that these major achievements indicate the political, social, strategic, cultural and economic dimensions that the UAE enjoys globally. Al Dhaheri said that the improved ranking of the UAE passport is one of the major accomplishments of the diplomacy of the Emirates headed by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The UAE Passport Force initiative was launched recently by the ministry with the objective of placing the country's passport on the five most important passports list in the world by 2021.

John Hanafin, chief executive of Arton Capital, said that they were excited to announce that the Passport Index had become the official benchmark and the UAE Passport Force initiative’s service partner to oversee and show in real time the passport’s accession within the most powerful of the world.

The diplomacy efforts UAE in recent times have focused on strengthening relations with South and Central American nations and the opening of consulates and embassies in Argentina, Brazil and Cuba.

If you are looking to visit the UAE, get in touch with Y-Axis, a leading consultancy for services in immigration, to apply for a tourist visa.