《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 ROC passport ranked 29 in index for ease of travel

/ Staff writer, with CNA

Republic of China （ROC） passports rank as the 29th-most “powerful” in the latest “Global Passport Power Rank” by Passport Index, according to a recent article on the World Economic Forum Web site.

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The index assesses which countries have the “most powerful travel documents” by measuring the number of countries that can be visited without applying for a visa.

Topping the list are Germany and Sweden, whose citizens can visit 158 countries without having to apply for a visa.

Last year, the US and the UK shared the top spot, but this year’s ranking puts the US in fourth place and the UK in second — along with France, Spain, Switzerland and Finland, whose passport holders enjoy visa-free privileges to 157 nations, according to the Web site article.

In third place are Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Korea and Norway, whose passport holders are able to travel to 156 nations visa-free.

South Korea’s passports were found to be the most powerful among Asian countries, followed by those of Singapore and Japan.

Singapore placed fourth, alongside the US, Portugal, Luxumbourg and Austria, with visa-free treatment from 155 nations, while Japan came in one spot behind, sharing fifth place with Ireland and Greece, whose passport holders can visit 154 nations without having to apply for a visa.

The ROC tied for 29th place with Saint Lucia, each with 120 countries that their passport holders can visit without a visa.

Hong Kong placed 18th, Macau ranked in 33rd place, while Thailand came in at No. 55, the Philippines at No. 64, Indonesia at No. 70 and China at No. 71, with 55 nations allowing Chinese passport holders to visit without applying for a visa.

“The least powerful passports are issued by poor countries, often mired in conflict,” the article said.

At the bottom of the ranking is Afghanistan, whose citizens can only visit 24 nations without a visa.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES