Within the travel community, there is a lot of debate about the hardest countries to travel to, which is largely based on the mobility awarded to Western passport holders compared to the world’s weakest passport. But what about the easiest countries to travel to? Where can the people with the weakest passports travel to?
The Weakest Passport
While there is still debate about the world’s weakest passport to hold and the measurements are constantly changing. Multiple times throughout the year, a foreign ministry may change its rules. For example, late last year Iran allowed the people of 33 countries to enter visa free. Iran waived visas for the citizens of many countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, increasing the strength of those passports. In contrast, when the Russia and Ukraine conflict broke out in 2021, many European countries changed their visa schemes for Russian passport holders, weakening the passport.
As you might imagine, the weakest passports may come from countries that suffer from economic difficulties, conflict and the risk of mass emigration. Different measurements of passport strengths award the world’s weakest passport to different nationalities. However, there are a group of countries that systematically rank as holding the weakest passports.
These nationalities are Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis, Yemenis and Pakistanis. Due to the individual situation in each of these countries, there are tough measures in place by a lot of countries to avoid mass migration and thus, are some of the world’s weakest passports .
One of these passports is considered the most expensive passport in the world, despite low mobility options.
Where Can People With The Weakest Passports Travel To?
Most European, Asian, African and American countries require nationals of the above countries to obtain a visa at a consulate or an E-visa prior to travel. In a lot of cases, nationals will have to supply evidence of return airfare, accommodation and sometimes even a sponsor – and still there is a high risk of visa denial.
If you are from one of the above countries, you may be able to travel to Malaysia. Malaysia has a very wide visa free system that includes most Muslim predominant countries. There are a limited number of countries that the above passport holders can travel to without applying for any type of visa – a physical visit to an embassy or consulate or an online E-visa.
Some regions include pacific island nations, the Caribbean and other Middle Eastern or Central Asian countries. However, entry requirements are often dictated by the politics of the day so they are forever changing.
Are There Any Countries That Offer Visa-Free Travel To Everyone?
If you are a passport holder of a weaker country, there are still options for travel, However, they may not be exactly what you had imagined – or maybe even heard of.
According to the Cook Islands Tourism website, “all visitors wishing to visit the Cook Islands will be issued a visitors permit on arrival into the Cook Islands”, provided they meet the following entry requirements: they have a valid passport for 6 months beyond their departure, can provide proof of accommodation and return flights, can stay for a period of 31 days with the possibility to extend.
The Cook Islands are one of the Least Visited Countries in the world, and therefore are off many people’s radars.
Dominica, Haiti and Micronesia allow holders of the above passports to travel visa free for tourism, for differing periods of time. However, due to the situation in the countries with the weakest passports, it makes travel to these countries that are far and often expensive, difficult.
Nevertheless, these countries practice a sort of open border policy (for almost everyone) which is becoming increasingly rare in a world of mass migration, travel and globalisation.
More on Passport Strength
Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan require most Western tourists to obtain a visa of Letter of Invitation (LOI) before traveling. While this can be off-putting for many tourists, tourism conversely due to factors prior mentioned, is often just not possible.
Most of us are able to dust off our passports and book a flight without a second thought of visa requirements in our country of destination. We do not often have to reflect on our country of origin as the reasoning for not being able to travel to destinations we desire.
However, there are countries that are notoriously strict for everyone to enter, such as Bhutan, Turkmenistan and North Korea. But don’t worry – YPT is an expert in getting you to those most difficult places!
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