Maltese Passports Are Officially The Tenth Most Powerful In The World
A Maltese passport is the tenth most powerful travel document in the world, according to VisaGuide.World.
The top five most powerful passports in the world are all printed by European Union member states. The most powerful, in descending order, are Italy, Spain, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
Maltese citizens can travel to 186 countries without having to apply for a visa, which is a level of access most passports do not grant.
Previously, Malta has been close to the top ten, but as the relationships between different countries and economic blocks are dynamic and constantly changing, these rankings are perpetually changing.
One thing which might result in a nation’s passport becoming less powerful could be some sort of significant blow to a nation’s reputation.
Malta ranks tenth, which might be surprising to those who remember that the European Commission has formally warned Malta against the sale of so-called “Golden” passports.
The corrupt stench around the scheme – which allows wealthy people from across the world to buy their way into EU citizenship by direct investment – is so powerful that NGOs have had to deny allegations that they had received donations from anybody associated with it.
More than a year ago, the EU Commission urged Malta to immediately repeal any existing investor citizenship schemes, but no action has yet been seen, and passports are still available for sale.
With as little as €175,000 in a government-approved national fund, in a year-long process, wealthy individuals can buy their way into Maltese citizenship.
For now, Malta’s passport is the tenth most powerful in the world, but with the EU having explicitly told Malta to scrap the passport scheme, and Malta having done nothing – not to mention other instances of Malta seeking to disregard or circumvent EU recommendations, such as the annual nightmare that is spring hunting – is Malta’s passport likely to remain so powerful.
Do you think Maltese passport power can last?
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