British passports have been named among the world’s most powerful, giving holders access without visas to the greatest number of the world’s nations.
Passport holders from Finland and Sweden, along with the UK, are able to enter 173 countries without obtaining a visa or by getting one on arrival, according to research carried out by movehub.com, a website devoted to people moving around the globe.
Access to 172 countries without visa is possible for people from the US, Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg.
Portuguese passport holders are in respectable company (Canada, France, Ireland, Norway, Spain and Japan) and are able to easily enter 170 countries, ahead of both Australia and New Zealand.
Overall, passport holders from Europe and North America are assured of the easiest access to the greatest number of nations.
South American passport holders were shown to have moderate access, with Argentina and Brazil having the strongest visa-free entry privileges to 147 and 146 countries respectively.
People from Afghanistan have the least access, with only 28 countries allowing them to enter without visa. Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan, and Nepal also have very limited access.
Portugal’s former colonies were also low on the list, with Angola having easy entry into only 40 countries, Guinea Bissau 47, Mozambique 48, Sao Tome 50, and Cape Verde 57.
Despite the research findings, travellers on British passports are advised to check and double check their visa requirements when travelling, including ‘entry’ into a country when the flight is only stopping in transit.
A South African passport holder with a Portuguese 'residencia' recently was denied boarding in Lisbon for a flight to South Africa which transited through London. British Airways said he needed the new 'uniform format residence permit' which Portugal does not actually issue, preferring to continue to issue the cardboard fold-up style which is unacceptable to the UK authorities.
Countries’ requirements can change overnight in some cases. For example, from April Turkey requires British people to apply in advance for an electronic visa. This has replaced the prior visa-on-arrival scheme.
India, on the other hand, said it will relax its visa requirements for a number of countries, but new regulations for British visitors have not yet been introduced.
