The upgrade means Malaysian passport holders can visit 175 destinations without obtaining a visa before departure, according to figures cited by the country’s immigration department. Of these, 129 are listed as visa-free destinations and 46 offer visas on arrival.
Malaysia moved up from third place in last year’s ranking.
Compiled by Passport Index, the ranking measures passport mobility based on the number of destinations holders can enter without obtaining a visa before departure.
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Kuala Lumpur’s iconic Petronas Twin Towers. Photo by Unsplash |
Malaysia is ahead of several major wealthy nations in the ranking.
Spain is third, while 16 countries share fourth place, including Japan, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal, Austria, Norway, and Ireland.
The United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States are in the top 10.
The ranking is unrelated to the Henley Passport Index, which uses a different methodology to measure passport mobility.
In the latter, Malaysia ranks seventh globally alongside Australia, Canada, Czechia, Latvia, New Zealand, Slovakia, and Slovenia.