Italy’s Passport is Europe’s most powerful

Rome: Not Germany’s, and not Finland’s, but it is Italy’s the most powerful passport in the entire European continent and third most powerful worldwide, just behind those of Singapore and Japan.

Having an Italian passport in 2023 means travelling almost effort-free to the majority of world countries, in particular the world’s top travel destinations, and even with fewer hassles than when travelling with any other European Union passport, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

According to a new Passport Index has been created by VisaGuide.World, which is the first ever to rank world passports in a more comprehensive and accurate way, based on a carefully-built formula that takes more factors into consideration, Italy has scored 88.28 points in the index, out of 100, while the first two, Singapore and Japan, have scored 90.28 and 90.01 respectively.

The same has also revealed that travellers with Italian citizenship can enter 45 world countries with only a valid ID card, with no visa, and no passport.

There are only three other countries the citizens of which have access to more countries with only an ID, which are Germany (51), Poland (50), and France (49), while Hungarian nationals have access with only an ID to an equal number of countries as Italians (45).

Out of the total number of countries worldwide, only 28 oblige Italians to obtain a traditional visa in order to enter their territory, which include Japan, Yemen, Nigeria, North Korea, Cuba, Ghana, etc.

On the other hand, Italians can travel completely visa-free to a total of 100 world countries, including here destinations like the United Kingdom, Barbados, Hong Kong, Israel, Indonesia, and Morocco, on top of the EU and Schengen Area countries.

Italians will, however, need to apply for an online travel authorization to travel to American Samoa, Australia, Canada, Guam, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, the United States Virgin Islands, and the United States (11 countries).

Whereas an e-visa is required for another eight, and travel with a visa-on-arrival is possible to a total of 35 world countries.

Italy, Finland, and Germany are ranked in the top five most powerful passports in Europe, and are followed by European passports for another 14 positions, with only South Korea interrupting the list on the 11th position.