Muristek
Taiwan moved up two spots to 32nd in the Henley Passport Index released Jan. 11 by London-headquartered citizenship and residency advisory firm Henley and Partners. ROC (Taiwan) passport holders enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 145 countries and territories. This year’s HPI, based on data from Montreal-based International Air Transport Association, compared visa-free access of 199 passports to 227 destinations worldwide. The latest tallies by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reveal that ROC (Taiwan) passport holders enjoy preferential visa treatment in 170 countries and territories. This number takes into account e-visa, visa-free and visa-on-arrival access, the MOFA said. HP's first quarter update saw Japan and Singapore finish together for top spot with access to 192 destinations. Other Asian countries in the index include Malaysia, 12th; Hong Kong, 18th; Macao, 33rd; China, 64th; and Thailand, 65th. Germany and South Korea came in equal second with 190, while Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain tied for third with 189. Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria finished bottom in that order, with preferential access to 26, 28 and 29 countries and territories, respectively. First published in 2006, the index is an internationally respected assessment described by HP as the "original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports." (SFC-E) Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
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