The Hungarian passport is ranked alongside those of Croatia, Poland, South Korea and Malta as one of the world’s most powerful travel documents. But how does a country rise ever higher up the rankings — and what explains Hungary’s success?

Many people assume a passport’s value is determined primarily by the country that issued it. In reality, what matters far more is how many countries its holder can enter easily, without the lengthy business of securing a visa in advance. On that measure, Hungary performs exceptionally well: according to the latest international rankings, the Hungarian passport is among the world’s four strongest.

Indeed, the latest Passport Index places the Hungarian passport in a respectable fifth position among the world’s most powerful travel documents. It is worth noting, however, that several countries can share the same ranking, which is why Hungary occupies this spot alongside Croatia, Latvia, Poland, Malta and South Korea.

The United Arab Emirates remains comfortably at the top, having held first place for some time. Emirati citizens can travel visa-free to 138 countries, must obtain a visa on arrival at a further 44, and need to apply in advance for just 16.

Singapore is in second place. Its citizens can also travel to 138 countries, though only 37 require a visa on arrival.

Spain and Malaysia share third place, while Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Japan, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Finland, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal, Austria, Norway and Ireland are tied in fourth.

Then comes the “Hungarian group” mentioned above. In the region, only the Austrian passport ranks higher than Hungary’s. It is also striking that the Hungarian passport outranks those of Great Britain, Canada, the United States and even the Vatican.

The Hungarian passport that enables you to travel freely in the Schengen Zone. Photo: Daily News Hungary

Hungarian citizens can travel visa-free to 129 countries, need to obtain a visa on arrival in 43, and must secure one before departure for 26 destinations.

At the bottom of the table are countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, as well as Pakistan.

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Passport strength is calculated using so-called mobility points. This measures how many destinations a country’s citizens can enter in simplified form — in other words, without having to submit a lengthy visa application in advance to an embassy or consulate.

Four types of entry are counted towards the total:

• visa-free entry;
• visa on arrival;
• electronic travel authorisation (ETA);
• fast-track, online e-visa.

The more countries a passport holder can reach through one of these routes, the higher that passport rises in the international rankings, according to Index.

Hungary benefits greatly from Schengen membership, as the zone continues to abolish visa requirements for other countries which, on a reciprocal basis, take similar measures. It is precisely for this reason that the United States has slipped to ninth place, following tightening introduced under the Trump administration.

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Featured image: depositphotos.com