Against the background of the outbreak of Russia’s aggressive war in Ukraine, another significant event took place for Russian tourists: the Russian passport predicts a rapid jump. This was stated by the consulting company Henley and Partners, which forms the index of passports – a rating of countries on the level of freedom of movement without the need for visas.
A recent report found that Japan and Singapore remained the leaders, which means that holders of both passports are allowed to travel to a total of 192 destinations without visas, notwithstanding the restrictions in many countries. In second place are Germany and South Korea – their limit on visa-free travel is 190 countries. Third place was shared by four European countries – Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain. Holders of these passports can travel to a total of 189 countries around the world without first having to apply for a visa.
As for Ukraine, it received high scores on visa-free access to various countries around the world (143), which is the highest increase compared to competitors. She is currently ranked 34th. Since 2012, Ukraine has risen in the ranking by 26 places.
Russia lags behind, ranking 49th, with an overall score of 117. However, analysts predict a sharp drop in Russia’s passport in the coming months due to the war in Ukraine.
According to Christian H. Kelin, Chairman of Henley and Partners, the latest update shows a unique picture of a changing world. He stressed that as the value of the Russian passport decreases and the world opens its doors to the citizens of Ukraine, it becomes clear that “the passport you hold determines your destiny and dramatically affects your capabilities.”
“Although it is impossible to predict what the world will look like in the shadows of events in the world and in Ukraine, the latest index suggests that the gap between Russia and most of the Western world will only widen,” he said.
Since the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine, 4 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their country. In response, EU countries have imposed sanctions on Russia, which are considered the toughest in recent years. As part of restrictive measures, EU countries, including the United States, Canada and other Western countries, have decided to close the airspace to Russian airlines and have stopped processing visa applications for Russian tourists. Some members of the European Union are proposing to introduce a complete tourist blockade for Russian travelers. It is an urgent proposal to stop issuing Schengen visas to Russians, ie to close access to Russians to 26 European countries. Read the details in the article “The EU called for a complete cessation of the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians.”