US Falls Out of Top 10 on List of the World's Most Powerful Passports (msn.com) 82
The U.S. passport has fallen out of the top 10 most powerful passports globally for the first time in 20 years in the latest edition of the Henley Passport Index, which ranks nations based on the number of destinations a traveler can visit without needing a visa. From a report: The U.S. ranking is on a steep downward trend, with the U.S. passport now in 12th spot, tied with Malaysia, having already fallen from seventh place last year to 10th place in July. A decade ago, the U.S. passport topped the index.
Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and creator of the index, said in a news release on Tuesday that the declining strength of the U.S. passport signaled a "fundamental shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics." Kaelin added: "Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are surging ahead, while those resting on past privilege are being left behind."
Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and creator of the index, said in a news release on Tuesday that the declining strength of the U.S. passport signaled a "fundamental shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics." Kaelin added: "Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are surging ahead, while those resting on past privilege are being left behind."
Re:Reading TFA (Score:5, Informative)
It is about the number of countries you can visit without requiring a visa.
The top three are Singapore, South Korea and Japan in that order, then it's a bunch of EU countries. This list has 5 countries in 4th, 7 more in 5th and so on - meaning there are way more than 11 countries ahead of the US.
I was just looking at countries where I'd need a visa and basically they are not places I have any interest in visiting anyway.
Re: Reading TFA (Score:2)
Bruh. Thatâ(TM)s literally how passports work. They work with visas, and visa free travel agreements.
Did you think TFA was going to be about how many grams the cardstock the cover is made out of can support? Seriously, what do you think âoea powerful passportâ means? Itâ(TM)s where you can travel without visas.
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Re: Reading TFA (Score:2)
They could include things like special lines at immigration, rather than just visa requirements. Arriving in Amsterdam with an EU passport is much less of a hassle than arriving with a US passport, but they both count the same on this report. Then there's the question of whether you need a permit to stay indefinitely, or just the passport.
Re:Interesting change (Score:4, Insightful)
The vast majority of Americans don't travel outside of North America and not only don't care about the power of our passports, but likely don't even hold a passport.
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According to Statista 53.76 million Americans traveled internationally in 2024. That's 15 percent of the population. Besides the pure numbers, business travel matters to our economic prosperity. Isolation is bad for business.
https://www.statista.com/stati... [statista.com]
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According to Statista 53.76 million Americans traveled internationally in 2024. That's 15 percent of the population. Besides the pure numbers, business travel matters to our economic prosperity. Isolation is bad for business.
https://www.statista.com/stati... [statista.com]
Real 'Muricans don't leave the ol' US of A. Anyone who regularly travels beyond driving range of their home town is suspicious, frankly.
(Meanwhile, I got the extra-thick passport booklet and have made a good try at filling it with stamps.)
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Isolation is bad for business.
Which is why I'm against politicized tariffs or high tariffs (either is bad)
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Business travel is mostly unnecessary in today's age.
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I guess American exceptionalism has become American xenophobia.
Always has been. If you believe that you are intrinsically superior to everyone else - the "lesser breeds without the Law" - naturally you resent anything they have or do. And you are constantly frightened that they might suddenly pop up and deprive you of your vast entitlements.
That's the logic that was used to justify the Korean and Vietnam wars. The "domino theory" - "if they win in Korea, they will win in India and Africa and eventually reach New York and take away some of the billionaires' assets to gi
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The article makes it seem like a bad thing we don't have high reciprocation, even though we're in line with nations like Australia and New Zealand. Having the freedom to travel but limiting those
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Translation:
"I want my country to stagnate and fall behind. I want to live in a provincial shithole."
Re: This is called (Score:2)
Look at what Europe has done to itself. The natives are now second class citizens in their own countries.
Sounds like you've never been to the EU, your claims of having traveled more than anyone here notwithstanding.
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His boasting about travelling more than anyone is probably similar to "both kinds of music - country and western".
Re: This is called (Score:2)
Sounds like it.
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I can also read a newspaper.
Like I said, it is obvious your knowledge isn't first-hand :)
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"I want my country to stagnate and fall behind. I want to live in a provincial shithole."
You forgot the next line:
But at least the libs are suffering too!
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Honestly, more nations should require visas from American and visa-versa. It's good for globalization to be on the decline.
Well, somebody cheering on a nation going into deep fascism would say something like that. Good luck. Now down here in the free world ...
Re:This is called (Score:4, Insightful)
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Yep. But what can you expect from somebody like that.
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Not if you're even further right.
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China has always required a visa
Visa on arrival is still a thing in parts of China. And it's how I visited Shenzhen. It's around $120 for the 5-day tourist Visa for Shenzhen (and perhaps other economic zones, I don't know).
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(snip)China has always required a visa, but now they're expanding their visa-free list and we're not on it.
FWIW, China offers a "travel without visa" for USA citizens for up to 10 days. I benefitted earlier this year when it was new. Other than Shanghai passport control needing to review their new rules (I guess I was among the first) it was simple and painless.
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Having the freedom to travel but limiting those who can travel here is not a bad thing at all.
More exceptionalism.
um (Score:3, Informative)
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That isn't a requirement for a lot of countries. In many cases, you can apply with a travel agent and your passport is sent to a consulate by courier. You only need to visit the consulate yourself if you can't be without your passport for a few days.
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When it is a requirement it's a frustrating one. Many countries outsource their visa applications to private companies, so you have to deal with them. Naturally they try to fleece you as much as possible. A common tactic is that because you are required to have booked accommodation before applying for the visa, they try to force you to pay for expedited processing or special appointments.
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I, for one, am crushed for needing to get a visa to travel to some sh!thole countries. /s
Gosh. You just belittled the countries of a total of about 400M people.
You are at risk of tarnishing your good reputation as a gentleman.
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I, for one, am crushed...
Wow. I *might* just about accept that Somalia isn't a place that currently attracts too many tourists, and the current political climate in Myanmar makes seeing such a beautiful country difficult.
But Papua New Guinea has some of the world's most beautiful unspoiled natural areas, Vietnam is a number one destination for many Brits (and plenty of other nations) and Brazil? BRAZIL? Have you not seen the beaches there?
With respect, perhaps the behaviour and attitude of those like you who cannot appreciate such
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BRAZIL? Have you not seen the women on the beaches there?
FTFY
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I, for one, am crushed for needing to get a visa to travel to some sh!thole countries. /s
You sound like you won't leave your country one way or the other so your opinion counts for little. Vietnam is an amazing place to visit and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to broaden their horizons beyond living in their sheltered little existence at home.
Improper Impression (Score:5, Informative)
Though they rank the U.S. as 12th, there are numerous nations tied for higher numbers.
This puts 38 nations ahead of the U.S. in terms of visa free access to other nations.
Re:Improper Impression (Score:5, Informative)
Also, the ranking is flawed because most western nations these days require a pre-travel electronic authorisation of some sort, which basically is the equivalent to a visa (you cant travel to the country without one).
For example, the US has a Visa Waiver Program with many countries, which technically means you can travel to the US without applying for a visa.
But, since 2007 you have needed either an ESTA or an actual issued visa before you can travel to the US by sea or air.
And the ESTA requirement was expanded to travel by land in 2022, basically meaning there is no way to arrive at the US without prior approval - so in actuality, the ESTA is now a visa for the US, but not one which allows actual entry, just the possibility of entry.
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I did my ESTA in 2024, it's a completely online process that costs $22 and was approved in 3 days.
It's basically just an online questionnaire where you answer incredibly smart questions like "I'm not affiliated to any terrorist organization and/or intend to commit acts of genocide. y/n"
It definitely beats having to book a consulate visit that might not even be available where you live.
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If you were eligible to get an ESTA, then you were eligible for VWP - without the ESTA existing you wouldnt be going to an consulate, you would just be flying/driving/sailing/walking/whatever to the US. And you still have the same likelihood of being granted entry.
My point is, the VWP is pointless because it was supposed to be a "you dont need to apply for permission before travelling" privilege for some countries citizens, and now it very much is a "theres no way to go to the US without applying for permi
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The difference is usually that getting the non-visa paperwork is largely an automatic process, relying on your own country to validate your identity and criminal record etc. For an actual visa they usually want to check that stuff themselves, seeing your passport in person, maybe making you attend an in-person interview.
Another common one is the requirement to have booked accommodation and proof of funding to get a visa. Makes organizing a trip much more of a pain.
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Also, the ranking is flawed because most western nations these days require a pre-travel electronic authorisation of some sort, which basically is the equivalent to a visa (you cant travel to the country without one).
For example, the US has a Visa Waiver Program with many countries, which technically means you can travel to the US without applying for a visa.
But, since 2007 you have needed either an ESTA or an actual issued visa before you can travel to the US by sea or air.
And the ESTA requirement was expanded to travel by land in 2022, basically meaning there is no way to arrive at the US without prior approval - so in actuality, the ESTA is now a visa for the US, but not one which allows actual entry, just the possibility of entry.
Not really, these are travel authorisations (the TA in ESTA) and are considered visa waivers, not visas. They've essentially replaced the old arrival cards you used to have to fill out.
I recently went back to Australia and my gast was flabbered by the mere fact I had to fill out a paper slip on entry... What used to be commonplace has almost completely disappeared in the last 5 odd years. I'm a UK/AU dual national for context, so I didn't need a visa to enter but still needed to complete an incoming pass
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Sorry but I disagree - an ESTA dictates whether you can travel at all, it does not fill the same role as an arrivals card because you are already in transit at that point, and arrivals cards also cover things like bio security, customs requirements etc.
With the expansion of ESTA to entry by land in 2022, you literally cannot present at any US entry point without having been approved first by the US government - if you do not have that permission, you cant use your visa waiver privilege at all, and the point
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which basically is the equivalent to a visa
It's nothing of the sort. The visa free electronic travel exemption is many orders of magnitude simpler than a visa application process. The two aren't even remotely comparable.
FYI: It took me 10min to get a business visa exemption (ESTA) to the USA.
It took a colleague of mine (who has once travelled to Iraq but is otherwise in the same situation as me, same passport, same living location) NINE MONTHS to get a business visa to the USA.
Comparing visa requirements to electronic travel authorisations shows you
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It *is* the equivalent of a visa because it dictates whether or not you can travel to the US. If you cannot travel to the US, you cannot use your visa waiver privilege.
They can call it whatever they want, and you can fixate on the name if you want to bury your head in the sand.
There is literally no way to travel to the US currently without either an ESTA or a visa. At this point, visa waiver doesnt matter because its been nullified by the ESTA requirement.
"Hey, you no longer need prior permission to trave
Practical Impression (Score:2)
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Right now Vietnam is a far better place to visit thsn the USA. Far less risk being imprisoned and deported for no good reason.
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You seem quite sure about that.
I'll have to take your word for it.
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Vietnam is indeed a quite nice place to visit. Less touristy and more interesting for hikers than Thailand, actually. Better food, too. The cities can be somewhat dirty and chaotic, especially in the south. The main downside is the very long flight.
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13 nations.
Thirteen. Is there a reason this matters?
A decade ago, the U.S. passport topped the index. (Score:5, Insightful)
Now refresh my memory, who became president close to a decade ago?
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Now refresh my memory, who became president close to a decade ago?
Probably someone who will bluster about this and increase the tariffs from those countries.
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I mean... at the peak of his malignancy the last time around, we were down to only about three dozen countries that would allow us to enter and visit. No one should be surprised that we are a pariah state again.
Why worry (Score:2)
You probably can't even get a US passport now (if you haven't got one already) due to the government shutdown.
China 10 Day Transit Visa (Score:1)
Meh...gets me where I want to go (Score:2)
I've never been not admitted to a country wanted to go to, with my U.S. passport.
That includes a lot of countries that would be considered "shit holes".
Press on!
So much winning. (Score:3)
So much damn winning happening that I feel like a Tar Heels fan.
Actually, I'm calling it now. Bill Belichick as next US president. I mean he is a Patriot after all.
Your passport can protect you during a hijacking.. (Score:2)
..if you get a Canadian passport cover for it.
What does this tell you: (Score:3)
From TFA: "Faced with unprecedented volatility, investors and wealthy American families are adopting a strategy of geopolitical arbitrage to acquire additional residence and citizenship options."
The question is will anyone be allowed to leave should it turn into a shitshow in America?
Even the wealthy could end up a significant portion of their unrealized gains on assets to taxes to the US Government if the rules are tweaked just a little bit.
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From TFA: "Faced with unprecedented volatility, investors and wealthy American families are adopting a strategy of geopolitical arbitrage to acquire additional residence and citizenship options."
The question is will anyone be allowed to leave should it turn into a shitshow in America?
Even the wealthy could end up a significant portion of their unrealized gains on assets to taxes to the US Government if the rules are tweaked just a little bit.
The wealthy people I know no longer have their holdings in the US; they've moved them off-shore. If I had any wealth, I'd be doing the same.
So what? (Score:2)
That "only" 45 countries can visit the US without a visa is not something I see as a problem.