Most Powerful Passport Isn't American or British

It's German, giving holder visa-free access to 177 countries
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 1, 2016 8:41 AM CST
Most Powerful Passport Isn't American or British
German is best when it comes to passports.   (Shutterstock)

Think Americans hold the most powerful passport on the planet? You're not even close, according to an index from a British immigration and citizenship firm. Henley & Partners' Visa Restrictions Index finds a German passport gives its holder visa-free access to 177 countries, more than any other passport. In fact, the German passport has held the title of the world's most powerful for three years in a row, reports Business Insider. The top 10:

  1. Germany: 177 countries
  2. Sweden: 176
  3. Finland, France, Italy, Spain, UK: 175
  4. Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, US: 174
  5. Austria, Japan, Singapore: 173
  6. Canada, Ireland, South Korea, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland: 172
  7. Greece, New Zealand: 171
  8. Australia: 169
  9. Malta: 168
  10. Hungary, Czech Republic, Iceland: 167
Check out the full list, or see why you should renew your aging passport now. (More Germany stories.)

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