NOMAD PASSPORT INDEX

The Nomad Capitalist Passport Index was created to determine and highlight the best citizenships in the world. Our ratings are based on the criteria of visa-free travel, taxation laws, global perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom.

The index was designed to speak to the specific needs of aspiring global citizens in a world where global mobility is increasing, yet wealth preservation and personal freedom are becoming increasingly elusive.

Many passports have seen diminished visa-free travel due to recent global events.

The Nomad Capitalist Passport Index tracks the ebb and flow of each passport’s strengths and weaknesses, assigning scores to each of our five topic headings. As these scores fluctuate, one thing becomes apparent – there has never been a more critical time to hold multiple citizenships.

It may be tough at the top but Swiss citizens don’t seem to mind. Affording its citizenry exceptionally high levels of liberty and privacy has propelled Switzerland to the top of our passport index. In 2023, Switzerland rose from fifth to third position and this year the country has finished the job by climbing to first. One of only three non-EU countries to make the top ten Switzerland, like Norway, is a member of the Schengen Area. The country’s neutrality ensures that Swiss nationals remain some of the most respected travellers in the world, while its dual citizenship laws ensure that expats can access their own slice of Swiss Bliss.

Ireland finished third last year and continues to scale the index’s heady heights, making it to second this year. Despite a slight change in its low corporate tax rates, the Emerald Isle’s passport visa scores are among the highest we have. The country’s excellent international reputation makes travelling as an Irish citizen generally hassle-free. While Ireland is not part of the European Schengen Area, it is a member of the EU and shares a Common Travel Area (CTA) agreement with the UK, allowing free travel to, and the right to work in, the UK.

An open and friendly country that enjoys one of Europe’s best passports, Portugal’s citizens are widely welcomed around the world, enjoying visa-free travel to countries like South Africa that other European Union citizens don’t. Portugal is extremely hospitable to expats, with a great culture, high levels of English fluency, plus a favourable tax exemption program.

After several years in the top three, Luxembourg drops to fourth position this year. This tiny but prosperous EU member state offers its citizens high levels of freedom and boasts excellent passport perception. As an added bonus for the expats living there, it recently became easier to naturalise as a citizen.

Northern Europe is home to some of the world’s best passports, and Finland is no exception. Though it no longer occupies the top spot in the index that it enjoyed just a few years ago, a Finnish passport is still among the best out there, offering visa-free travel to a large number of countries. More stringent tax policies for expats reduced the country’s score, dropping it to joint fourth.

Following its meteoric rise to the top of the index last year – rocketing from 35th to first – the United Arab Emirates has slipped back slightly this year and finds itself tied for sixth. The UAE’s impressive score is based on changes in the last few years which allow foreigners to apply for dual citizenship. That development, combined with the travel freedoms afforded by a UAE passport, the country’s business-friendly environment, and an enviable tax system, helps keep UAE close to the top of our 2024 list.

A newcomer to our top ten passports, the Netherlands (Holland is the soccer team) scores in the top two when it comes to ease of travel. Likewise, the Dutch are warmly welcomed around the world and enjoy excellent personal freedom within their own borders. Unfortunately, its overall score in our index is dented by strict dual citizenship laws.

The second of this year’s two newcomers to the top 10, Norway is another Northern European country with a great reputation. Though tax is something of an Achilles heel for Norway, a Norwegian passport is highly prized for ease of travel. Similarly, Norway ranks highly when it comes to how the country and its citizens are viewed by others, along with issues of personal freedom and the ease of accessing dual citizenship.

A high-tech and heavily industrialised economy with a strong work ethic, Germany is rightly regarded as the ‘engine of Europe’. Its economy, the biggest in the EU, has just become the world’s third-largest overall. Europe’s most populous country, the government has recently relaxed its previously strict dual citizenship laws, a major boon for expats. As you might expect, a German passport bestows a high degree of travel freedom on the holder. There is a trade-off: Germany has higher taxes than many of its European neighbours, though thankfully, leaving the German tax system is relatively straightforward.

A relative newcomer to our top ten passport index, New Zealand has managed to hang on its seat at the top table. Boasting a warm climate, easy-going locals and cinematic landscapes, New Zealand remains as popular with expats as ever. Although the Kiwis had to endure a very strict lockdown during the pandemic, citizens today generally enjoy a considerable degree of personal freedom inside the country with an equal amount of travel freedom throughout the world.