Malaysia ranks 14th in passport index with 179 visa-free destinations

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia has dropped two spots, from 12th to 14th, in the Henley Passport Index, behind Japan.

Malaysia also held on to its visa-free score of 179, which means passport holders can enter 179 destinations around the world without applying for a visa.

Japan remained at the top spot with a score of 193 while Singapore and South Korea are joint second with a score of 192.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan is still at the last spot with only a score of 27 – an increase from last year’s 26.

As for other Southeast Asian countries, they are far behind Singapore and Malaysia. Brunei is in the 23rd spot, followed by Timor Leste (58), Thailand (68), Indonesia (75), Philippines (78), Vietnam (88), Cambodia (89), Laos (93) and Myanmar (96).

Most countries in Europe round off the top spots, such as Germany and Spain (three), Finland, Italy and Luxembourg (four), and Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden (five).

Interestingly, China is ranked 66th with a score of 80 while India is at the 85th spot, scoring 59.

Released this month, the index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa and is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association.

The index’s scoring system was developed to give users a practical overview of their passport’s power. Each passport is scored on the total number of destinations that the holder can access visa-free. 

For each travel destination, if no visa is required, then a score of 1 is allocated for that passport. This also applies if passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority upon entry. 

Where a visa is required, or where a passport holder must apply for a government-approved electronic visa before departure, a score of 0 is assigned. The same applies if they need pre-departure approval for a visa on arrival. – The Vibes, January 12, 2023