Pacific Rim Passports Found Strongest — Vax Before Travel

According to the latest results from the Henley Passport Index, Japan holds the number one spot on the Index according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa, with a record-high visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 193.

While Singapore and South Korea tied for 2nd place with a score of 192 in the Index, which is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

EU member states dominate the rest of the top ten spots on the latest ranking, with Germany and Spain in joint-3rd place, with access to 190 destinations visa-free.

Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg follow closely behind in joint-4th place with 189 destinations.

And Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden share 5th place with their passport holders able to travel to 188 destinations worldwide without a visa.

The UK and the USA have dropped to 6th and 7th, respectively.

But despite the unprecedented worldwide access afforded to the citizens of these nations over the Index’s 17-year history, international passenger demand in the Asia-Pacific region has only reached 17% of pre-Covid levels, according to IATA’s latest statistics.

While the European and North American markets have recovered to around 60% of pre-crisis travel mobility levels.

Commenting in the Henley Global Mobility Report 2022 Q3, Dr. Marie Owens Thomsen, Chief Economist at IATA, says passenger numbers should reach 83% of pre-pandemic levels in 2022.

“By next year, many markets should see traffic reach or exceed pre-pandemic levels, while we expect this to be the case for the industry as a whole in 2024.”

As of August 5, 2022, the U.S. TSA checkpoint travel activity numbers indicate travel had recovered to about 90% of 2019 volume.

The U.S. State Department frequently publishes Travel Advisories to inform international travelers of each country’s situation.

And if a citizen of a foreign country seeks to enter the U.S., they need to obtain a U.S. visa.

Additionally, local U.S. Embassies offer local insights and services to American citizens. Updated FAQs about U.S. passport operations are found on the State Department webpage.

Note: This research was manually curated for mobile travelers.