KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — Malaysia has inched its way back up in a global ranking of passports this year, based on the number of countries and destinations to which it has visa-free access.
In the latest Henley Passport Index which looks at 199 different passports, Malaysia's passport went up from the 13th ranking in 2021 and 2022, to the 11th spot in 2023.
The Malaysian passport is able to provide visa-free access to 180 out of 227 different travel destinations.
Singapore ranks number one in the world this year with its passport giving visa-free access to 192 countries and destinations.
In comparison, the other South-east Asian passports are distant with the closest being Brunei in 20th spot followed by Thailand (64th), Indonesia (69th), the Philippines (74th), Cambodia and Vietnam (both at 82nd), Laos (87th) and Myanmar (89th).
Malay Mail's checks of historical data showed that Malaysia's rankings in the global passport index has fluctuated over the years.
Although its global rankings within the last six years have not reached its previous peaks of 8th spot (2014) and 9th spot (2013 and 2006), the number of countries that a Malaysian passport can access visa-free is far higher now (between 177 to 180 countries and destinations from 2018 to 2023) as compared to the past (120 in 2006, 145 in 2008, between 151 to 166 countries from 2010 to 2017).
Residence and citizenship planning firm Henley & Partners bases its global passport index ranking on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA), which the company then cross-checks against in-house research and open-source online data.
The index categorises a travel destination as being visa-free, if it is a place where "no visa is required for passport holders from a country or territory", or if passport holders do not need government approval before departure to obtain a visa on arrival, a visitor's permit or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination.
The reason why no pre-departure government approval is needed is due to visa-waiver programmes.
The index is also based on the assumptions that the passport is valid and under the normal category (not diplomatic, emergency or temporary), and that the passport holder is an adult citizen travelling alone instead of in a tourist group.
Other assumptions used for the index include the passport holder fulfills all the basic entry requirements such as having a hotel reservation or proof of sufficient funds; having had all the necessary vaccinations; is arriving at and departing from the same airport; is seeking a short stay of between three days and several months instead of a transit stay in the destination; and entry to the destination country is for tourist or business purposes.
As of the 2023 index, the 180 destinations that a Malaysian passport holder will have visa-free access to include those involving an ETA upon entry (Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka) and those involving visa on arrival (Marshall Islands, Palau Islands, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Samoa, Tonga, Armenia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Azerbaijan, St Lucia, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Bolivia, Burundi, Cape Verde Islands, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, St. Helena, Sudan, and Togo).
