On January 10, 2024, Henry & Partners, a British consulting firm, released the "gold content" ranking of global passports.

In this ranking, six countries, Japan, Singapore, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, tied for first place, and broke the historical record with 194 visa-free/visa-on-arrival visas, becoming one of the most valuable passports in history.

Global Passport Ranking 2024

(*The number of visa-free countries and regions is in brackets)

❶ France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain (194)

❷ Finland, South Korea, Sweden (193)

❸ Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands (192)

❹ Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom (191)

❺ Greece, Malta, Switzerland (190)

❻ Australia, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Poland (189)

❼ Canada, Hungary, United States (188)

❽ Estonia, Lithuania (187)

❾ Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (186)

➓ Iceland (185)

01

Many European countries rank among the top ten

Japan and Singapore have dominated the global passport rankings for the past five years, but in the latest rankings. France, Germany, Italy, and Spain are tied for first place with Singapore and Japan, which highlights the rising trend of European countries.

Of the top ten countries, most are also European:

·Finland, Sweden and South Korea tied for second place, with visa-free access to 193 destinations.

·Austria, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands tied for third place, with visa-free access to 192 destinations.

·Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal and the United Kingdom ranked fourth.

·Greece, Malta and Switzerland are fifth.

The higher the visa-free/visa-on-arrival degree of a passport, the greater the flexibility and freedom that passport holders will have around the world. It can be seen that the attractiveness of European identity will be greatly increased.

02

How to configure a cost-effective European identity?

In recent years, many high-net-worth individuals around the world have chosen to configure their European identities as overseas second identities, providing convenience for global asset allocation, tax planning, and children’s education planning.

Currently, the Malta permanent residence program and the Greek golden visa are popular choices for obtaining European status. They both have the advantages of low investment cost and fast approval time.

greece golden visa

In this Henry Passport Index ranking, Greece ranks fifth in the world, with visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 190 countries/regions, including the United States, Canada, Australia, etc.

According to the Greek Investment Immigration Act, any foreigner who is not a member of the European Union purchases a property in Greece worth 250,000 euros (starting from 500,000 euros in some areas) and meets other application conditions. Three generations of a family can obtain a permanent residence permit and enjoy the same benefits as local citizens. Education, medical and other benefits.

Malta permanent residence project

In March 2021, the Malta Identity Authority (IDENTITY MALTA) announced the new "Malta Permanent Residence Program (MPRP)". Investors can achieve four generations of a family to immigrate to Malta through: government donations + charitable donations + real estate investment.

In addition, Malta is the only "four-in-one" country in the world, integrating Schengen, Eurozone, EU and Commonwealth countries into one, enjoying all the advantages of these four identities.

Xingyunhai International has a wealth of successful cases of global identity planning & asset allocation. If you have relevant needs and questions, please feel free to consult us!