Henley and Partners issued the second quarter 2024 report that sets “German Passport” as the second strongest in the world. The federal country stands together with France, Germany, Italy, and Spain and stands in second position with access to 192 visa-free countries.
The Britian-based residency and citizenship advisory firm Henley and Partners issue quartal-wise reports for the strongest passports in the world every year. This year, for Q2, Singapore has grabbed the first position in the world by having visa-free access to 195 countries.
The EU countries dominate this year in the ranking too as ever before. Almost all EU countries have a ranking inside the first 14 top positions. For Germany, this is indeed a big achievement as they surpass the US, UK, Canada, Finland, and Luxembourg which have always been strong contenders for the strongest passport holders in the ranking.
Germany is already trying to attract non-EU skilled workers to meet its labor market needs. This is why, the latest immigration reforms also include citizenship in less time than before. Starting from 27 June 2024, foreign nationals living in Germany can apply for the naturalization process after living there for 5 years instead of previously implemented 8.
EU Countries and their ranks in the Henley Passport Index
| Rank | EU countries | Access to visa-free countries |
| 2nd | France, Germany, Italy, Spain | 192 |
| 3rd | Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden | 191 |
| 4th | Belgium, Denmark | 190 |
| 5th | Portugal | 189 |
| 6th | Greece, Poland | 188 |
| 7th | Czechia, Hungary, Malta | 187 |
| 9th | Estonia, Lithuania | 185 |
| 10th | Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia | 184 |
| 11th | Croatia | 183 |
| 13th | Cyprus | 178 |
| 14th | Bulgaria, Romania | 177 |