The consulting firm Henley & Partners have developed a list of countries whose passports can be used to visit most countries in the world, without needing to obtain a visa.
Germany is in first place for the third consecutive year with travel to as many as 177 countries in which German nationals do not need a visa. In second place is Sweden with 176, and third place is shared by Finland, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom (175). According to the Visa Restriction Index for 2016, Croatia is ranked 24th and our passport can travel to 149 countries without a visa, reports Vecernji List on January 4, 2017.
Compared to 2015 and 2014, we are down two places. The worst position Croatia held was in 2012, when Croatia was ranked 37th. Bosnia and Herzegovina are in 52nd and have dropped one place from last year – in 2014 they were in 42nd place. Serbia has maintained a position at 43rd, while Slovenia is at a high 12th place.
Hungarians are in tenth place, together with the Czech Republic and Iceland. In fourth place are Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States. In fifth are Austria, Japan and Singapore. Ireland is ranked sixth, together with Canada, South Korea, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland.
Interestingly, the number of passport requests for Ireland, the country that is increasingly attractive to Croats who are looking for work, is growing at a rapid rate because it allows travel and work anywhere in Europe. In Ireland, according to local media, a record 700,000 passports were issued last year, which is 30,000 more than in 2015.
On the list of countries with the “weakest” passports are Afghanistan, whose passport can travel without a visa to 25 countries, followed by Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia and Syria. The first 10 places on the list are mainly run by Asian and African countries among which in eighth place is Kosovo.
