ABU DHABI: Over the past 10 years, the UAE has climbed an impressive 28 places on the Henley Passport Index — the biggest climb of any country in the world.  The UAE passport, ranked 33rd in the 2018 edition, offers visa-free travel to 133 countries — up from 121 countries in 2017, gaining access to 12 new destinations in just one year. The UAE’s success is linked to the fact that, between 1999 and 2018, visa restrictions on Emirati citizens have been lifted by countries such as New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, Ukraine, and China, as well as those in the Schengen area.

In the wider GCC region, all member countries significantly improved their positions and ranked within the top 70 positions on the index. Kuwait moved up to 58th position, with access to 83 countries visa-free and Bahrain ranked 63rd, offering its citizens visa-free access to 75 countries. Oman (65th) and Saudi Arabia (67th) followed closely behind, with visa-free  access to 71 and 69 countries, respectively.

Commenting on the MENA region’s ranking, particularly UAE’s jump in the index, Marco Gantenbein, Director at Henley & Partners Middle East and Member of the Group Executive Committee,  says, “The UAE has performed exceptionally well and has been instrumental in leading the MENA region’s overall ranking in the index.

In the region, we continue to witness an increase in demand for investment migration programs, which are driven by  key factors including the need for improved global mobility, better security, enhanced quality of life and most often also for the purpose of generational wealth planning and portfolio diversification.”

  Germany holds on to 1st place on the Henley Passport Index for the fifth year running, with its citizens enjoying visa-free access to 177 countries in total, up from 176 countries in 2017.