KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s passport is back in the 12th spot with a visa-free score of 179, after dropping to number 14 in the Henley Passport Index last year.
Malaysia shares the ranking with Cyprus and Liechtenstein.
Right at the top of the index are France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain, with a score of 194, while Afghanistan remains last with a score of 28.
As for the other Southeast Asian countries, they are far behind Singapore and Malaysia. Brunei is ranked 20th, followed by Timor Leste (56), Thailand (63), Indonesia (66), Vietnam (87), Laos (90), and Myanmar (92).
The index ranks 199 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 based 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 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. – January 11, 2024