8 Reasons showing the Strengthening Power of the UAE Passport

UAE passport holders are in for a surprise here. They got to smile more as the travel document has jumped up 5 places from the 13th position to the 8th position. And this has happened recently in less than a year’s time making it one of the strongest growing passports all over the globe.

As of now, Emirati citizens would be able to freely travel to 187 countries. One of the main reasons for the growth is the signing of a bilateral agreement in 2015 between the European Union and the UAE.

Due to this agreement, UAE citizens can reside in 26 countries of Europe for a period of 90 days i.e. 3 months roughly in any period of 180 days that is 6 months without a visa.

The UAE passport is just behind Lithuania and the USA ranked 7th and 6th respectively in the Get Golden visa index.

There are a few key reasons why the UAE is advancing in such a rapid manner. We look into the 8 important reasons below.

1) Visa Free Access:

The UAE passport is one of the strongest travel documents in the world granting access to 187 countries. Of these 187, 45 provide e-visas and visa on arrival to the UAE citizens. Locations in Canada, Brazil, the Schengen area in Europe are included in the regions of access.

2) Tax Efficiency:

The United Arab Emirates tax environment is highly favourable particularly for high net worth individuals. People residing there are exempted from personal income tax, allowing more earnings to be retained by them. The country also offers waiving of capital gains meaning no tax is to be paid for capital gains / income making it a hotspot for business owners and capital investors. 

3) Economic Influence:

Having a diversified economy, driven by key sectors such as oil and gas, finance,tourism and technological developments, it has turned its cities into one of the leading global economic hotspots. In 2023, the UAE ranked second just behind the US in terms of greenfield Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) project investments with 1323 FDI projects, an increase of 33 percent since 2022.

4) Balanced Foreign Policy:

The foreign policy of the state is very striking to take note of. It is characterised by its strategic diplomacy and balanced relationship  with the global powers be it Washington or be it Beijing. It also participated and signed in the CEPA or the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with India boosting trade and economic ties by 20 percent to $60 billion annually.

5) Early Post Covid Recovery:

UAE was one of the first countries to relax travel restrictions after the CoronaVirus Pandemic that led to its speedy tourism sector recovery. The Dubai Expo 2020 was delayed to Oct 2021 because of the occurrence of the pandemic. The expo attracted a record 24 million visitors boosting up the country’s economy.

6) Golden Visa Programme:

The Golden Visa Programme introduced in 2019, is a long term residency providing programme giving the applicant an option to stay up to 10 years. It is applicable to investors, entrepreneurs and highly skilled professionals. For getting into the process of application of a Golden Visa, applicants must invest at least AED 2 million or $545,000 in any property or business project. By 2024, 44000 Golden Visas have been issued to applicants.

7) World Class Infrastructure:

UAE has advanced infrastructure, ranking highly in global stock trade indices in sectors like transportation, healthcare, and digital connectivity. DXB or Dubai International Airport, handled over 86 million passengers during pre pandemic times. But it has recovered in the post pandemic stage.

8) Strategic Location and Air Connectivity:

The country is located in between the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe giving UAE a strategic advantage that it has been able to utilise properly and has transformed into a Global Business and travel hub. The country has 2 publicly owned airlines including Emirates operating from Dubai and Etihad Airways operating from Abu Dhabi. Both airlines operate flights over 250 destinations worldwide.