Iran’s passport ranks 99th in the world in terms of the access it grants the holder to other nations, according to the latest global ranking of the Henley Passport Index.
Based on the index’s data published on its website, Iran’s passport grants visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 43 destinations in 2018.
The Iranian visa grants the best access to its holder citizens in Africa, where 16 destinations allow visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry. The Middle East and the Oceania are the next regions in terms of granting the highest access to Iranian passport holders with eight and six destinations respectively.
Iran holds the ranking of 98 alongside Congo. It stands higher than Sri Lanka, Ethiopia and North Korea, whose passports grant access to 42 destinations to give them a ranking of 99, and below Kosovo with access to 44 destinations.
However, a closer look at the names of countries listed by the Henley Passport Index that grant access to Iranian passport holders shows that Serbia has been listed as the only European nation granting any kind of access to Iranian passport holders.
This was true, since a little over a year ago, Serbia announced a visa waiver program for Iranians. The program prompted many Iranians to travel to the European nation.
But on Oct. 10, it was announced that Serbia has abolished the visa-free travel scheme, apparently in response to European Union pressure after the system was abused by migrants trying to reach the bloc.
So after removing Serbia from the list, Iran’s passport will grant access to a total of 42 destinations, ranking it 99th globally.
In 2017, Iran ranked 95th, an improvement over the 2016 ranking of 98th. Iran’s worst and best rankings were registered in 2015 and 2006 respectively at 102nd and 82nd.
The 2018 Henley Passport Index showed that Japan now has the most powerful passport in the world. Japanese citizens recently gained visa-free access to Myanmar, increasing their total access to 190 destinations. This puts the Japanese passport one spot higher than Singapore's passport, which once held the index's top spot, and now has access to 189 destinations.
Germany, South Korea and France were tied for the third global spot.
The United States' passport fell to fifth place with access to 186 locations, and stood behind Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden and Spain. The passports of the US and the UK, now jointly ranked fifth, were the most powerful in 2015.
The UAE jumped the most spots on the list in recent years, rising from a ranking of 62 in 2006 to 21 in 2018. The Arab state’s passport now allows travel to 161 locations.
The Henley Passport Index ranks the travel documents based on data from the International Air Transport Association, a trade association of international airlines.
Henley & Partners, a London-based residence and citizenship planning firm, formally announces rankings annually, but the index is updated in real time, reflecting current visa-policy changes.
