The Maltese passport, which, following the recent citizenship by investment programme, has become internationally renowned, turns out to be the world’s 26th most ‘powerful’ in terms of the number of countries its holders can visit without a visa.

Maltese national can, in fact, enter a total of 163 countries without the need for a passport, according to research conducted by movehub.com, a website specialising in helping people move abroad.

The UK, Swedish and Finnish passports will get their holders into the most countries, 173 to be precise. As for the world’s least powerful passports, those of Yemini or the Comoros Islands can enter just 42 countries visa-free.

Chinese passport holders, meanwhile, are allowed free access to just 43 countries.

“More than a simple grant of access into a country, passports and the visas they contain are a reflection of geopolitics, the relationship between two nations, and a country’s status relative to the rest of the world,” according to movehub.com.  “They’re also of immense value.”

 

The world’s most ‘powerful’ passports:

173 countries: UK, Sweden, Finland

172: US, Germany, Luxembourg, Denmark

171: Belgium, Italy, Netherlands

170: Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Spain

168: Austria, New Zealand, Switzerland

167: Australia, Greece, Singapore

166: South Korea

165: Iceland

163: Malaysia, Malta

159: Liechtenstein