UAE passport remains most powerful in Middle East

The UAE passport remains the most powerful in the Middle East, with Chad in Africa as the latest country to grant citizens visa-free travel. According to Arton Capital’s latest ranking, the UAE passport is ranked 26th globally with a visa-free score of 126. The list comes as the Republic of Chad announced on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York that UAE nationals will now be exempt from pre-visa entry requirement. Emiratis can enter Chad without a visa for up to 90 days per visit.

In the Gulf region, Kuwait was ranked the second most powerful passport to have with a visa-free score of 85, followed by Qatar (80), Bahrain (75), Oman (71) and Saudi Arabia (69). Globally, Arton said that Paraguay’s recent removal of visa requirements for Singaporeans propelled Singapore’s passport to the top of its Passport Index with a visa-free score of 159. Conversely, the US passport was said to have fallen down since President Trump took office.