How powerful is the Malaysian passport?

Malaysians in general are already of the knowledge regarding the quality of the nation’s passport and its recognition as among the best in the world. The term ‘best’ also brings about various advantages to its holder.

The next question that comes to mind is: “How powerful is the Malaysian passport?”

The Malaysian passport is actually tied with Malta in ninth position on the top 10 most powerful passports in the world. These two passports provide access to 163 countries without a visa.

Eight place belongs to Iceland with an access to 165 countries without a visa, following by South Korea in seventh place with access to 166 countries.

The sixth most powerful passport belongs to Australia, Singapore and Greece (167 countries) while fifth place is shared by Switzerland, Austria and New Zealand (168 countries).

Ireland, Canada, France, Japan, Norway, Portugal and Spain are tied in fourth place with access to 170 countries without a visa.

Third place belongs to Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands (171 countries) while the United States, Germany, Denmark and Luxembourg share second place.

The most powerful passport in the world however belongs to the United Kingdom, Finland and Sweden with access to 173 countries without a visa.

The safety features made available in the Malaysian passport, similar to that of other countries on the list, was outlined by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Apart from enhancing the integrity of travel documents, Malaysian passports have also had a facelift in terms quality in a bid to curb forgery attempts and to protect the identity of Malaysians.

Its existence allows Malaysians to move freely through international gateways.

Malaysian passport holders can also enjoy the convenience of e-service and automated inspection gates (autogate) provided by ICAO member countries globally.

Meanwhile the weakest passport in the world belongs to Afghanistan with access to only 28 countries without a visa. This is followed by Iraq (31 countries) with Somalia and Pakistan in joint third place (32 countries).