KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 ― The Malaysian passport is now the fourth most powerful out of 199 countries, according to latest study by Global Passport Power Rank.
It ties with seven other countries like Austria, Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland, providing its holders visa-free access to 156 countries.
However, the Malaysian passport is still behind southern neighbour Singapore, which together with Germany, were ranked the most powerful passports in the same index with their visa-free access to 159 countries.
The Passport Index is developed by Arton Capital, a financial advisory firm specialising in investor programmes for residence and citizenship.
The Malaysian passport appears to have gained a boost from four years ago.
In the 2013 Visa Restrictions Index by Henley & Partners, a global consulting firm in international residence and citizenship planning, the Malaysia’s passport was ranked the ninth best in the world.
The separate 2013 survey showed Malaysian passport holders could waltz into 163 countries without a visa.
