Consulting firm Henley & Partners has released the next world passport rating – documents are considered based on the free travel opportunity they provide (visa-free and visa-on-arrival). Japan retained the lead – citizens of this country can freely enter 193 countries (one more from the previous rating), which is a record for the entire 17-year history of rating. Second place is shared by Singapore and South Korea (192 countries), followed by Germany and Spain (190 countries).

119 visa-free destinations are now open for Russians – the internal passport ranks 50th in the ranking. However, the authors of the “passport index” note that this is a more nominal figure, as “Russian citizens are de facto prohibited from traveling in most of the developed world, with the exception of Istanbul and Dubai.” These cities, as noted, now especially attract Russians.

The authors acknowledge that figures for other passports are also partially nominal, as international tourism has been severely restricted in the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Henley & Partners Passport Ranking is updated quarterly.