Italy has the 3rd most powerful passport in the world, according to a new index which ranks the level of visa-free access passports provide to their holders.Global citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners produces theย Henley Passport Indexย each year using data from the International Air Transport Association.
The 2018 edition ranked Italy’s passport as the third best in the world as it provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 187 countries, more than that of international heavyweights like the UK, US and China.Italy shared 3rd place with Finland, France, Spain and Sweden. Singapore and Germany were second (providing access to 188 countries), while Japan was 1st.
Schengen Area countries have traditionally topped the index due to providing open access to large parts of Europe, Henley & Partners noted.
One European country that could see its position in the ranking weaken in the coming years is the UK, with Brexit potentially making trips abroad more complicated.