The 2022 Henley Passport Index by Henley & Partners has been released, and according to the London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm, Dominica’s passport ranks as the eight strongest in the Caribbean region and 33rd on the global level.
The latest report, Henley’s first of the year and quarter of 2022, as always, ranks national passports in terms of their power, i.e., the number of destinations that holders of a particular passport can visit without a prior visa.
The passport index, which is updated quarterly, is compiled using exclusive data from International Air Transport Association (IATA)- the largest, most accurate travel information database – and enhanced by Henley & Partners’ research team. For the index, 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations were studied.
Based on the report, holders of Dominican passports can travel to 144 countries visa-free.
Barbados, with visa-free access to 161 destinations and a global passport ranking of 23, has once again emerged with the most powerful passport in the Caribbean region.
Other regional countries that are higher ranked than Dominica are St Kitts and Nevis- at #25 with visa-free access to 157 destinations, The Bahamas- #26 with visa-free access to 155 destinations, St Vincent and the Grenadines- #29 with visa-free access to 151 destinations and Antigua and Barbuda- at #30 with visa-free access to 150 destinations.
At the bottom of the list in the Caribbean are Haiti, ranked at 95th and a visa-free score of 48; Cuba ranked at 79th with a visa-free score of 64, Suriname ranked at 67th with a score of 77, Jamaica ranked 61st with a score of 85 and Guyana ranked 59th with a score of 87.
Explaining its ranking, the report stated: “For each travel destination, if no visa is required for passport holders from a country or territory, then a score with a value equal to one is created for that passport. A score with a value equal to one is also applied if passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination. These visa-types require no pre-departure government approval, because of the specific visa-waiver programs in place.”
Just like last year, Japan and Singapore emerged as the joint toppers on the global level, followed by Germany and South Korea, which, too, retained their joint second spot.
Henley & Partners observed that the average number of countries that could be visited without having to obtain a visa in advance was just 57 in 2006. That figure stands at 107 in 2022.
The index also notes that climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are continuously impacting mobility, with people looking to move to countries that are secure, stable and economically prosperous.
Interestingly, while three Asian countries take the top two spots, 11 European countries fill up the spots till rank five.
These include Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain at joint third place with a score of 189. They are followed by Austria, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Sweden in fourth place and Ireland and Portugal in fifth place.
The US and the UK are in sixth place with some other countries with passports granting easy access to 186 destinations.
Click here to download the Henley Passport Index Fact Sheet and to find out which countries one can visit visa-free with a Dominica passport.
Yall can sell the passports, heck the whole country for all I care. But why is it that when a born dominican come to renew his her passport it becomes a complicated affair. You have my old one and birth certificate why all that trouble?
How was that ranking earned? Are the pages highly resistant to wear and tear? Can it help me to carry my luggage or allow me get discounts on high airfares? Does it add any tangible economic value to the day to day lives of ordinary Dominicans? Please respond asap so I can crawl back up to my peanut gallery.
Get in touch with the Sales Director of CBI by the name of R. Skerrit. At present he can be reached via the Financial Centre or the main office of the Red Clinic LLC.
Isn’t that the people who have trying to destroy our CBI because they can’t get there hands on it? I understand why DNO would publish such rubbish.
Selling your nationality is nothing any proud citizen should ever support. There will soon be around 10,000 passport holding ‘Dominicans’ who have never been here. Our biggest ‘passport shop’ is in Dubai where oil money means that a Dominican nationality can be purchased for pocket change. Mark my words, this passport selling is going to come back to haunt us one day. Take away CBI and this government – and by extension, this country – would be nonfunctional.
I wonder how much Skerrit had to pay Henley&Partners for this bit of Passport propaganda. Sales will be going up next month, no doubt.
Good Morning,
I am happy for Dominica’s progress, but please give correct report of ranking as you never mention Trinidad and Tobago which has a score of 150 nor St Lucia which has a score of 146.
that will make it not 6 but 8 ranking in the Caribbean.
ADMIN: You are correct. We have had the headline corrected.
Maggie are you surprised that publication has tried to elevate the ranking of the Skerrit’s oligarchy? No surprise for me from the biggest spin doctor of this maladministration.
Is any Taliban carrying Dominican passports, they were sold to anyone who wants one.
About our passports. I don’t believe our passports to be sold like a cold beer on a hot, sunny day. Our forebears sacrificed too much, many of them paid the ultimate price, to get ownership. Because of this our passports should be considered sacred.
We should devise other creative ways to earn revenue. My birthright should not be put on sale like bread at a bakery.
By the way, its good that Dominicans have free-visa access to so many countries. The question is though, when will Dominica regain visas free access to Canada? Any idea, Mr. Skerrit?
This so-called firm has nothing better to do. As far as I am concerned there is no significance to this work or this report. Nothing or no one is affected, and nothing to be implemented. All of this is just bull down. Wish this firm could do some investigative work in the Caribbean and help bring to justice all or most of these Caribbean leaders who willfully provoke their citizens to wrath after theft of their hard-working incomes etc. etc. most notoriously Dominica’s own King Liar.
Morning !
I would like to have informations on how can i require à Dominican passeport or citizenship my mum is Dominican but i am french.
As your mother is Dominican why don’t you ask her. Most of the information will have to come from her anyway.
Get your moms birth certificate and your. Present them with your application and that’s it, pay your fees and you got it.
Give yours truly about $200,000 you will be all set your passport will arrive fast. Do not even need to ever go to Dominica just give all the money.