UAE passport ranks world's most powerful in 2026, offering access to 182 destinations

[Feroze]

UAE passport ranks world's most powerful in 2026, offering access to 182 destinations​

Britain ranks seventh and US tenth as UAE leads global passport mobility rankings for 2026

Last updated: October 13, 2026 | 18:40
Huda Ata, Special to Gulf News
2 MIN READ
Add as a preferred source on Google

The UAE holds a seven-destination advantage over Singapore and Malaysia, and an eight-destination lead over Spain.Supplied
Dubai: The UAE passport has been ranked the most powerful in the world in the 2026 Passport Index, giving Emirati citizens access to 182 destinations without having to obtain a traditional visa in advance, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
The ranking places the UAE ahead of Singapore and Malaysia, which share second place with access to 175 destinations each, followed by Spain in third place with 174.

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The UAE's position reflects more than a number in an international ranking, according to WAM, highlighting the country's global standing and the confidence it enjoys internationally.

According to the latest figures published by the Passport Index, the UAE passport has a mobility score of 182, comprising 138 visa-free destinations and 44 destinations offering other qualifying simplified entry arrangements. A further 16 destinations fall outside those categories.
The UAE holds a seven-destination advantage over Singapore and Malaysia, and an eight-destination lead over Spain.
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The ranking, developed by Arton Capital, measures the travel freedom offered by passports worldwide, taking into account the number of destinations their holders can access without securing a conventional visa before travelling.
Unlike annual rankings that are updated periodically, the Passport Index operates as a real-time platform, revising its figures when countries introduce new visa exemptions or change entry requirements.

How the world's top 10 passports compare​

Singapore and Malaysia share second place with mobility scores of 175, while Spain ranks third with 174.
Fourth place is shared by a large group of countries, including Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal, Austria, Croatia, Norway, Ireland and Japan, each with a score of 173.

Malta, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia and South Korea share fifth place with 172 destinations.
Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Lithuania follow in sixth place, each with a mobility score of 171.
The United Kingdom and Cyprus share seventh place with 170, followed by Canada, Liechtenstein and New Zealand in eighth with 169.
Australia and Iceland occupy ninth place with 168 destinations, while the United States ranks tenth with a mobility score of 167.

How Passport Index calculates its rankings​

The Passport Index, developed by Arton Capital, is the world's original interactive passport ranking platform and the only global ranking that updates passport mobility scores in real time.
Its methodology covers passports issued by 193 United Nations member states and six additional territories: Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Kosovo, the Palestinian Territory and Vatican City, bringing the total to 199.
The index calculates each passport's mobility score based on access to destinations without a visa, visas available on arrival, electronic travel authorisations and electronic visas issued within three days.
Where passports have identical mobility scores, the ranking considers their respective visa-free and visa-on-arrival sections, with the United Nations Development Programme's 2018 Human Development Index used as a further tie-breaker.

UAE passport ranked world's most powerful in 2026, offering access to 182 destinations, according to Passport Index

UAE passport ranks first globally in the 2026 Passport Index, offering access to 182 destinations, ahead of Singapore, Malaysia, Britain and the US.

gulfnews.com

 

[clutch]

UAE passport ranks world's most powerful in 2026, offering access to 182 destinations​

Britain ranks seventh and US tenth as UAE leads global passport mobility rankings for 2026

Last updated: October 13, 2026 | 18:40
Huda Ata, Special to Gulf News
2 MIN READ
Add as a preferred source on Google

The UAE holds a seven-destination advantage over Singapore and Malaysia, and an eight-destination lead over Spain.Supplied
Dubai: The UAE passport has been ranked the most powerful in the world in the 2026 Passport Index, giving Emirati citizens access to 182 destinations without having to obtain a traditional visa in advance, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
The ranking places the UAE ahead of Singapore and Malaysia, which share second place with access to 175 destinations each, followed by Spain in third place with 174.


The UAE's position reflects more than a number in an international ranking, according to WAM, highlighting the country's global standing and the confidence it enjoys internationally.

According to the latest figures published by the Passport Index, the UAE passport has a mobility score of 182, comprising 138 visa-free destinations and 44 destinations offering other qualifying simplified entry arrangements. A further 16 destinations fall outside those categories.
The UAE holds a seven-destination advantage over Singapore and Malaysia, and an eight-destination lead over Spain.
SPONSORED LINKS BY PROJECT AGORA

https://mybrainclarityreport.com/
If You Say These 3 Phrases After 60, Brain Fog May Already Be Starting (See Them)The Wellness Perspective



https://mybrainclarityreport.com/
Japan's Oldest Doctors Say Memory Loss Isn't Age: Just Avoid Drinking These 3 BeveragesThe Wellness Perspective



https://www.thenew.money/cnxu
GLP-1 Weight Loss Has A Side Effect Wall Street Is WatchingThe New Money




The ranking, developed by Arton Capital, measures the travel freedom offered by passports worldwide, taking into account the number of destinations their holders can access without securing a conventional visa before travelling.
Unlike annual rankings that are updated periodically, the Passport Index operates as a real-time platform, revising its figures when countries introduce new visa exemptions or change entry requirements.

How the world's top 10 passports compare​

Singapore and Malaysia share second place with mobility scores of 175, while Spain ranks third with 174.
Fourth place is shared by a large group of countries, including Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal, Austria, Croatia, Norway, Ireland and Japan, each with a score of 173.

Malta, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia and South Korea share fifth place with 172 destinations.
Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Lithuania follow in sixth place, each with a mobility score of 171.
The United Kingdom and Cyprus share seventh place with 170, followed by Canada, Liechtenstein and New Zealand in eighth with 169.
Australia and Iceland occupy ninth place with 168 destinations, while the United States ranks tenth with a mobility score of 167.

How Passport Index calculates its rankings​

The Passport Index, developed by Arton Capital, is the world's original interactive passport ranking platform and the only global ranking that updates passport mobility scores in real time.
Its methodology covers passports issued by 193 United Nations member states and six additional territories: Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Kosovo, the Palestinian Territory and Vatican City, bringing the total to 199.
The index calculates each passport's mobility score based on access to destinations without a visa, visas available on arrival, electronic travel authorisations and electronic visas issued within three days.
Where passports have identical mobility scores, the ranking considers their respective visa-free and visa-on-arrival sections, with the United Nations Development Programme's 2018 Human Development Index used as a further tie-breaker.

UAE passport ranked world's most powerful in 2026, offering access to 182 destinations, according to Passport Index

UAE passport ranks first globally in the 2026 Passport Index, offering access to 182 destinations, ahead of Singapore, Malaysia, Britain and the US.

gulfnews.com

Express entry into IsraHell......

 

[Feroze]

Express entry into IsraHell......

I would love to work in the GCC countries as a Paralegal/Law Clerk.

Thing is I do not know Arabic, I only know English and some Urdu and French. lol.

I hope Saudi Arabia has entry level Paralegal jobs.

 

[clutch]

I would love to work in the GCC countries as a Paralegal/Law Clerk.

Thing is I do not know Arabic, I only know English and some Urdu and French. lol.

I hope Saudi Arabia has entry level Paralegal jobs.

I hear they have plenty of mercenary jobs... You should apply

 

[Feroze]

I hear they have plenty of mercenary jobs... You should apply

Hahaha! Thats a good one. I am just a Law Clerk/Paralegal. I work for lawyers. Like drafting Legal documents, doing legal research, interviewing clients, doing receptionist work, etc.

 

[Berseker]

Hahaha! Thats a good one. I am just a Law Clerk/Paralegal. I work for lawyers. Like drafting Legal documents, doing legal research, interviewing clients, doing receptionist work, etc.

Bro didn’t get the joke at all.

Although every muslims dream of working in Saudia and have access to Umrah and House of Allah.

But these Arabs are such racist

 

[Feroze]

Bro didn’t get the joke at all.

Although every muslims dream of working in Saudia and have access to Umrah and House of Allah.

But these Arabs are such racist

When I was in Saudi Arabia, I was treated well when they knew I was a Pakistani.

 

[Vapnope]

Perks of being a zionist.

 

[clutch]

Hahaha! Thats a good one. I am just a Law Clerk/Paralegal. I work for lawyers. Like drafting Legal documents, doing legal research, interviewing clients, doing receptionist work, etc.

Basically your job is easily done by AI ChatGPT, Gemini, CoPilot 365?

Trust me... For now until they have robot soldiers.... You should consider the high in demand Mercenary Jobs in Saudi so you can die for IsraHell and make some serious shekels.

 

[Musings]

With the latest behaviour of the UAE administration - the passport has got stains on it. I for one dont respect of value their passport or stance

 

[Yasser76]

With the latest behaviour of the UAE administration - the passport has got stains on it. I for one dont respect of value their passport or stance

They live a fragile existence.

Right now UAE serves a certain purpose for Iran (helps them import stuff and circumnaviagate sanctions), Saudia (holiday resorts for the Saudis) and lots of vested interests in mainaining the Emirates.

Once this goes UAE will be finished. I see it ending up more as divided city statelets like it was before they all got togther.

They are making so many enemies now they need to rely on Israeli help. That is very good for defence tech and getting American help, but in case of invasion Like we saw with Kuwait in 1991), no one can help them

 

[Musings]

They live a fragile existence.

Right now UAE serves a certain purpose for Iran (helps them import stuff and circumnaviagate sanctions), Saudia (holiday resorts for the Saudis) and lots of vested interests in mainaining the Emirates.

Once this goes UAE will be finished. I see it ending up more as divided city statelets like it was before they all got togther.

They are making so many enemies now they need to rely on Israeli help. That is very good for defence tech and getting American help, but in case of invasion Like we saw with Kuwait in 1991), no one can help them

They sit on the same table as Israel. They sponsor the far right trying to dilute the Muslims. They are no friends of anyone but themselves. Their passport is disintegrating fast

 

[Yasser76]

They sit on the same table as Israel. They sponsor the far right trying to dilute the Muslims. They are no friends of anyone but themselves. Their passport is disintegrating fast

Yeah, difference is Israel can defend itself. Without massive foreign help UAE are at the mercy of their neighbours, they know this very well, so they have no option but to suck up to US/Israel.

Moment US gets fed up of them they are finished, so to keep vested interest they ensure massive amounts of investments in the West and big arms purchases. This keeps the status quo going. The moment this grand bargain falls apart UAE is finished as an entity. Saudis and Iranians may well just let Dubai and Abu Dhabi become statelets like Singapore or Hong Kong