Indonesia`s Passport Ranks 72nd in Henley Index

London, UK, MINA – Henley and Partners, a global leader in residence and citizenship planning, released a Passport Index that places Indonesian passport at the 72nd rank in the world, a gain of seven positions than the previous period.

In the latest list, Indonesia, with a total score of 63, is placed along with the Philippines, Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Cape Verde, Antara News reported, citing Henley & Partners` 2018 Passport Index released on Thursday.

Every year, Henley & Partners releases passport rankings based on the number of countries providing visa facilities, such as visa-free, visa-on-arrival, and electronic visa to a country.

In its latest list, Henley & Partners has for the first time placed Indonesia at par with the Philippines. Earlier, the Philippines passport always ranked above Indonesia, placing the latter at the sixth position, as a country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with the strongest passport in recent years in a row. This time, the Philippines and Indonesia are ranked fifth at the ASEAN level.

In the previous year, Indonesia scored 57 points and currently rose by six points to 63.

In 2017, Indonesia received visa-free facilities from several countries, such as Belarus, Qatar, Mali, and Serbia. Meanwhile, Ukraine, Gabon, and Mauritius offer the visa-on-arrival facility to Indonesian passport holders.

Indonesia provides visa-free facility to 169 countries. Based on Presidential Regulation No. 21 o 2016 signed by President Joko Widodo in March 2017, residents of 169 countries can avail the visa-free facility while visiting Indonesia.

Earlier, visa-free visits were granted to 45 states under Presidential Regulation No. 69 of 2015 set on June 10, 2015. On September 18, 2015, Presidential Regulation No. 104/20 of 2015 was issued to offer visa-free facility to residents of 90 countries.

Indonesia is still attempting to get a Schengen visa-free status, and if successful, its passport ranking will drastically rise, similar to that of Timor Leste.

The country, with the strongest passport ranking based on Henley & Partners, is Germany having a score of 177, followed by Singapore, at 176. Singapore is also viewed as a country with the strongest passport ranking in the Asia-Pacific region. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)