KUWAIT CITY: The Kuwaiti passport is ranked third in the Gulf countries and the Arab region and 47th globally on the passport index of Arton Capital, reports Al-Qabas daily. According to the index, the strength of the Kuwaiti passport enables citizens to easily enter 106 countries around the world, of which 58 countries do not require a Kuwaiti to obtain a prior visa to enter; while the Kuwaiti passport holder can obtain an entry visa upon arrival at the airport of 48 countries as against 92 countries that requires Kuwaitis to acquire a prior entry visa.

The UAE passport tops the list of passports in the world adding a new record to its list of having the most powerful travel document in the world. According to the Passports Index, the UAE passport topped the world’s passports, outperforming a group of European passports in the list of the top ten passports. Passport holders can enter 180 countries hassle-free, 121 countries are visa-free, 59 are on arrival and only 18 countries require a pre-entry visa. Qatar came in second place in the Gulf and Arab countries, and 45th in the world. Bahrain ranked fourth at the level of the Gulf countries and the Arab region, and ranked 51 at the world level, followed by Saudi Arabia and Oman, which shared fifth place in the Gulf region and 54th globally.

European countries dominated the second place in terms of the strength of their passports, and they are Germany, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and South Korea. Financial advisory firm Arton said, in a statement, that “global mobility is picking up pace despite the war in Europe and rising border tensions. It is amazing that while the world is still feeling the effects of the covid pandemic, travel is more accessible than ever, with the exponential growth in passport power across the board, a trend that we expect to continue into 2023.” Arton added that the passports of nearly every country around the world have become more robust this year, with countries keen to reap the economic benefits offered by facilitating freedom of movement.

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