Japan’s passport is the most powerful in the world and gives holders access to 193 countries without first having to apply for a visa. Photo: iStock

The latest rankings for the world’s top performing passes have been named, but travelers who own them are unlikely to be able to use them anytime soon.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, a third of all countries in the world prohibit international visitors, and passports are no longer as useful as they were before the pandemic.

Japan again topped the list in the latest Henley Passport Index, which ranks passports based on the number of countries travelers can visit without getting a visa or receiving one on arrival.

Australia's passport ranks ninth with access to 185 countries (if our borders were open).

Australia’s passport ranks ninth with access to 185 countries (if our borders were open). Photo: iStock

Citizens of Japan can visit 193 countries without a visa, closely followed by Singapore (192), Germany and South Korea (both 191).

Australia ranked ninth with Canada and had access to 185 countries without a visa.

However, the ranking does not take into account global COVID-19 restrictions. Of course, Australians are currently not allowed to leave the country without prior approval from the federal government.

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As of Sunday evening, the number of overseas countries Australians can visit freely increases to one: New Zealand, if The long-awaited Trans-Tasman bubble opens.

Japan’s residents are currently allowed to leave the country, but the Japanese government has banned all foreign visitors from 152 countries from entering Japan. Those not on this list, including Australians and Japanese nationals, must meet strict return conditions including COVID-19 testing and quarantine (which can self-isolate if approved by quarantine officers) upon arrival.

Afghanistan was at the bottom of the passport list, followed by Iraq and Syria.

“The gap in freedom of travel is now the largest since the index began in 2006. Japanese passport holders can access 167 more destinations than Afghan citizens, who can only visit 26 destinations worldwide without first obtaining a visa,” the Henley report said said.

China and the United Arab Emirates have seen the greatest increases in the number of countries their citizens can visit. In the past 10 years, China has risen 22 places in the index from 90th to 68th place and has increased access to visa-free countries from 40 to 77. The UAE rose from 65th and 67th countries to 15th position with 174 countries.

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and creator of the Passport Index, said: “The latest ranking is a reminder that economic recovery and development depends on global mobility, including personal freedom of travel, and that passport power is never used should of course. “

“While no one is anticipating a return to pre-pandemic mobility levels anytime soon, the outlook is certainly more hopeful now than it was a few months ago.”

Australians may feel less hopeful after Federal Health Secretary Greg Hunt said Tuesday that even if the whole country were vaccinated, that would not mean that international borders could be reopened. The Trans-Tasman, however Travel bubble contains a void This means that Australians can visit New Zealand and then travel to other countries without permission from the federal government.

A report by Deloitte Access Economics this week also predicted that international travel would not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024. The UNWTO figures showed that global tourism in January 2021 had decreased by 87 percent compared to the same period last year. The Asia-Pacific region was hardest hit, with tourism falling 96 percent.

With international borders closed, so is the number of Australians The renewal or application for passports has fallen sharply. In 2019, the passport office issued 2,208,767. In 2020, that number dropped to just 882,622, a decrease of 60 percent.

With a standard 10-year pass for $ 301 (one of the most expensive in the world), the border closure has cost the passport office hundreds of millions in lost revenue.

The most powerful passes in the world

  1. Japan (193 destinations)
  2. Singapore (192)
  3. Germany, South Korea (191)
  4. Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain (190)
  5. Austria, Denmark (189)
  6. France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden (188)
  7. New Zealand, Belgium, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States (187)
  8. Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Norway (186)
  9. AustraliaCanada (185)
  10. Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia (183)

The least powerful

  1. Afghanistan (26)
  2. Iraq (28)
  3. Syria (29)
  4. Pakistan (32)
  5. Yemen (33)
  6. Somalia (34)
  7. Palestinian Territories (37)
  8. Nepal (38)
  9. North Korea (39)
  10. Kosovo, Libya (40)

See also: Do you think countries are opening up now that there is a vaccine? Think again

See also: Trips abroad will only take place if the Australians request it

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