The Irish passport continues to be one of the world’s most powerful travel, listed joint sixth on the global Henley Passport Index.
This puts it above the UK or the United States passports in allowing visa-free travel to more countries around the world.
The latest Henley Passport Index also ranks the Irish passport ahead of that of New Zealand, Switzerland and Belgium.
According to the index, Japan has the world’s strongest passport for free movement.
Japanese passport holders can theoretically travel to 193 destinations around the world without a visa.
Singapore’s passport ranks second, allowing travel to 192 countries without a visa.
An Irish passport normally permits visa-free travel to 188 countries – the same as a passport from France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.
The least powerful passport is that issued by Afghanistan, which permits visa-free travel to just 26 countries.
China’s passport has significantly improved its ranking over the last decade, moving from ninetieth position in 2011 to sixty-eighth.
