Owning a passport opens up a world of possibility and freedom for travellers - or so you would think.
In
some countries around the world, even if you are lucky enough to have
access to the government-issued documents, you are still restricted and
barred from several countries.
Henley
and Partners created a Visa Restrictions Index, which ranks countries
globally in accordance to the travel freedom enjoy their inhabitants
enjoy - with some surprising results.
Where it
might be expected that countries such as North Korea and possibly Cuba
could take the bottom spots for the most restricted travel freedom, they
actually place at 86 and 69 respectively, from a ranking of a total of
94.
Each country was given a score by global consulting firm Henley and Partners, who specialize in residence and citizenship planning.
The
score was calculated based on visa regulations of all countries and
territories in the world, and the number of other countries that their
citizens can travel to without having to obtain a visa.
Taking
the lowest spots were Afghanistan (ranked at 94 and able to visit 28
countries visa-free), Iraq, (able to visit 31 countries), Pakistan and
Somalia (able to visit 32 countries) and the Palestinian Territory (able
to visit 35).
This
was juxtaposed by Finland, Germany, Sweden, the UK and the US, in first
position, who are able to access 174 countries visa-free.
Henley
and Partners said: 'In today's globalized world, visa restrictions play
an important role in controlling the movement of foreign nationals
across borders.
'Almost all countries now require visas from certain non-nationals who wish to enter their territory.
'Visa
requirements are also an expression of the relationships between
individual nations, and generally reflect the relations and status of a
country within the international community of nations. '
TOP RATED COUNTRIES
1) Finland
= Germany
= Sweden
= USA
= United Kingdom (174 points)
2) Canada
= Denmark (173 points)
3) Belgium
= France
= Italy
= Japan
= Korea (Republic of South)
= Luxembourg
= Netherlands
= Portugal
= Spain (172 points)
Pakistan
is ranked at 92 in the Visa Restrictions Index, and citizens are able
to visit 32 countries including Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, and Dominica
without a visa.
Despite this freedom, stepping over the Pakistani border into India and Iran does requires a visa.
At the bottom of the list are the citizens of Afghanistan who are banned from entering Kuwait entirely.
They can, however, travel to Micronesia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Haiti without a visa entirely though.
The
index reflected the decision in 2014 to allow citizens of the UAE to be
allowed short stays in the EU Schengen countries without a visa, moving
them up the rankings in the travel freedom index.
A
UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) report stated that three-quarters
of people in the world travelling to Europe need a visa
According
to the latest Visa Openness Report by the UNWTO, 62 per cent of the
world’s population was required a traditional visa prior to departure in
2014, down from 77 per cent in 2008.
A
total of 19 per cent of the world’s population was able to enter a
destination without a visa, while 16 per cent could receive a visa on
arrival (compared to 17 per cent and 6 per cent in 2008).
BOTTOM 5 RATED COUNTRIES
89) Eritrea
= Libya
= Sudan
= Syria (38 points)
90) Nepal (37 points)
91) Palestinian Territory (35 points)
92) Pakistan
= Somalia (32 points)
93) Iraq (31 points)
94) Afghanistan (28 points)
Can you even believe our beloved Nigeria didn't make the list?
Source: Uk Daily Mail
Lol
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