MALAYSIA’S passport is the sixth most powerful in the world, trumping developed countries such as Australia and New Zealand, according to Passport Index. 

The Index ranks national passports by the cross-border access they bring, assigns a “visa-free score” according to the number of countries a passport holder can visit visa-free or with visa on arrival. 

Malaysia was given a visa-free score of 154 and shared sixth place with Ireland, United States of America and Canada. 

For Malaysia, passport holders from 118 countries do not require a visa and visitors from 38 other countries require a visa-on arrival to enter Malaysia. 

Singapore tops the list as world’s most powerful passport with a visa-free score of 159.

Singapore’s passport rose to first place after Paraguay removed visa requirements while Afghanistan’s passport ranked as the least powerful with a visa-free score of 22. 

Other Asian countries in the top 10 are South Korea and Japan – third and fourth with visa-free scores of 157 and 156 respectively. 

Arton Capital, the firm that developed the Passport Index said in a statement today the top 10 most powerful passports were mostly European with Germany leading the rank for the past two years. 

Based on the statement, US passport has fallen since President Donald Trump took office with Turkey and the Central African Republic recently revoking their visa-free status to US passport holders. 

Passport holders from 114 countries require a visa to enter the States while 40 need to get a visa on arrival. – October 25, 2017.