United Arab Emirates passport ranking 2025
The U.A.E. passport is currently ranked 8th place on the Guide Passport Index. It provides visa-free access to 185 countries. Emirati passport holders have visa-free and visas on arrival access to countries such as Austria, China, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, South Korea, South Africa, and many other prime destinations around the world. That is the reason why the passport ranking is high on the overall worldwide mobility score. The remaining 41 countries for which a U.A.E passport holder requires to obtain a visa prior to entering is therefore expected to further drop.
United Arab Emirates Passport Ranking
The United Arab Emirates passport ranking relative to other global passports is calculated by adding up the number of countries that allow United Arab Emirates passport holders to enter without a visa (i.e. visa-free countries) and those that allow United Arab Emirates passport holders to enter by obtaining a visa on arrival (i.e. visa-on-arrival countries) or an electronic travel authorization (eTA). There are currently a total of 143 United Arab Emirates passport visa-free countries, 35 United Arab Emirates visa-on-arrival countries, and 4 eTA destinations.
Altogether, United Arab Emirates passport holders can enter a total of 182 destinations—either without a visa, through a visa on arrival, or via an eTA. As a result, the United Arab Emirates passport ranks 11 in the world.
Separate from these United Arab Emirates visa-free countries and visa-on-arrival countries, there are 47 additional destinations which United Arab Emirates passport holders either need a physical visa to enter or an eVisa (i.e. visa required countries).
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About United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) is an Arab country consisting of seven emirates, located in the Middle East bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. The seven emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain. The country has a total surface area of 83,600 square kilometers. Its climate is mostly dominated by the desert, with cooler areas in the eastern mountains.
The overall population is 9.9 million people. The capital of the country is Abu Dhabi. The most populous city however is Dubai with over 3 million inhabitants. The largest airport is Dubai International Airport (DXB) with approximately yearly passenger traffic of 86 million people. DXB Airport is considered the number 3 busiest airport in the world.
Its culture is dominated by Islam with 76% of the population being Muslim and the official language being Arabic. The legal system is based on Islamic (sharia) law. The government form is a federation of monarchies with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as president. All seven Emirates are governed independently by their respective rulers. Matters of national importance are being decided in Abu Dhabi by the Cabinet, chief of state, and head of government.
The official currency of the country is the U.A.E. Dirham (AED). It is fixed to the USD guaranteeing exchange rate stability of AED 3.67 to the USD. The country has an open economy, generating a GDP of approximately $700 billion. It has a high per capita income of $70,000. Nowadays, 30% of the GDP is still originating from the petroleum and petrochemical sectors. The government focuses on the development of other sectors such as tourism to further reduce the dependency on oil and gas.
The United Arab Emirates is the tourism hub of the entire region. It is known for its many tourist attractions especially in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Tourists visit the country for its warm climate, beaches, hotels, restaurants, and shopping outlets. Some of the major attractions include the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, Burj Al Arab, the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The majority of the 16 million yearly overnight tourists are originating from Europe. It is closely followed by the neighboring GCC country visitors.
