Moldova rises in global passport ranking: "A mirror of international trust"
The Republic of Moldova is home to many beautiful places that are worth exploring. However, other countries also offer equally appealing destinations for travel enthusiasts. It's important to remember that one cannot leave the country without a passport. For some, a passport may seem like just a simple piece of plastic, but it is actually a significant document. It represents the holder's freedom of movement, reflects how the issuing state is perceived internationally, and indicates the nature of its relationships with other countries.
Every year, the Henley Passport Index assesses the “power” of passports around the world and compiles an international ranking. According to this year’s edition, the passport of the Republic of Moldova ranks 45th and offers its citizens the opportunity to travel visa-free to 122 countries.
According to the international ranking, Singapore has the most powerful passport in the world. Citizens of this country can travel to 192 destinations, visa-free or with a visa on arrival. The next position is occupied by Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, whose identity documents allow travel to 188 countries.
The top three most powerful passports in the world also include Sweden, with access to 187 destinations.
At the other end of the international ranking is Afghanistan. This country’s passport offers access to only 22 countries. Two decades ago, Afghan citizens could travel visa-free or with a visa on arrival to only 12 countries.
As for the Republic of Moldova, the local passport ranks 45th in the ranking, which means that we can travel visa-free to 120 countries. Our country is ahead of Venezuela and the Russian Federation, which occupy positions 46 and 47, respectively.
The Moldovan passport has climbed a step in the ranking. In 2008, it offered access to approximately 80 countries and occupied position 66. The greatest progress was in 2014, after the elimination of visas for travel to the European Union.
The director of a document preparation company, Raisa Ghirişan, says that this position is an important advantage for the Republic of Moldova and shows that the country is increasingly open to the international community.
"The essential advantage for a small country like us, the fact that we are present in the ranking confirms that Moldova already has an international openness. I believe that the greatest achievement at the moment is free access to the European Union. In addition, Moldovan citizens can travel without visas to Turkey, Israel, the CIS countries and most Balkan states. This means, in fact, freedom to travel, to study and to visit, economic partnerships with countries that are politically, economically and with developed diplomatic relations have stronger passports. The passport is, in fact, the mirror of international trust. As we grow economically and politically, our passport will gain more power and respect in the world", said Raisa Ghirişan, on the "Zi de Zi" show on Radio Moldova.
199 passports and 227 destinations were analyzed to create this ranking. The top is based on the number of countries that holders can travel to without a visa.
A novelty for the Republic of Moldova is that, starting this year, new types of passports and travel documents will be issued. The information will be written in Romanian, English, and French, and the new passports will have different validity periods depending on the holder's age and status.
They will also include the holder's facial photograph, fingerprints, and signature, starting at age 14.
Author: Svetlana Bogatu
