The Philippines is now the seventh most powerful country when it comes to passport ranking in Southeast Asia, according to the 2018 Henley Passport Index released on May 22 by Henley & Partners, a residence and citizenship planning firm headquartered in New Jersey. Our country has also climbed to a global ranking of 70 from the previous 72, after China and Taiwan gave us visa-free access, raising the places we can visit without a visa to 65. For a time, the number climbed to 66 until South Korea's visa-free access expired in April.
Thirty-day visa-free access to Hainan Island, the smallest and southernmost island province of China, started on May 1 for citizens from 59 countries, including the Philippines. It used to be just 15 days for 26 countries.
Taiwan's visa-free access for Filipinos started on November 1, 2017. Stay is limited to 14 days, and is still on a trial period until July 31, 2018.
Jeju in South Korea can be accessed without a visa if you fly direct to the island. However, since there are no available flights from Manila to Jeju Island, you have to transfer via Incheon Airport, and therefore, would be required a Korean visa. The country temporarily opened its borders for visa-free travel direct to Pyeongchang County from November 2017 to April 2018 for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
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Japan and Singapore rank as the world's most powerful passports. The Philippines is at 75th place along with Cuba, Cape Verde Islands, and Azerbaijan. Afghanistan ranks last with visa-free access to only 24 countries.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWHere are the other countries you can visit visa-free with a Philippine passport:
Asia (20 countries):
- Brunei - 14 days
- Cambodia - 21 days
- Hong Kong - 14 days
- Indonesia - 30 days
- Iran - 30 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Israel - 90 days
- Kyrgyzstan - 30 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Laos - 30 days
- Macao - 30 days
- Malaysia - 30 days
- Maldives - 30 days
- Mongolia - 21 days
- Myanmar - 14 days
- Nepal - 90 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Singapore - 30 days
- Sri Lanka - 30 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Taiwan - 14 days, until July 31
- Thailand - 30 days
- Timor-Leste - 30 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Vietnam - 21 days
Europe (one country):
- Armenia - 120 days
North America (eight countries):
- Costa Rica - 30 days
- Dominica - 21 days
- Nicaragua - 90 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Saint Kitts and Nevis - 30 days
- Trinidad and Tobago - visa issued upon arrival
- St. Lucia - 42 days, visa issued upon arrival
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines - 30 days
- Haiti - 90 days
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Oceania (nine countries):
- Fiji - 120 days
- Marshall Islands - 90 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Micronesia - 30 days
- Niue - 30 days
- Palau Islands - 30 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Papua New Guinea - 60 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Samoa - 60 days
- Tuvalu - 30 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Vanuatu - 30 days
South America (six countries):
- Bolivia - 90 days
- Brazil - 90 days
- Colombia - 90 days
- Ecuador - 90 days
- Peru - 183 days
- Suriname - 90 days
CONTINUE READING BELOWRecommended VideosAfrica (19 countries):
- Cape Verde Islands - visa issued upon arrival
- Comores Islands - 45 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Ivory Coast - 90 days
- Djibouti - visa issued upon arrival
- Gambia - 90 days
- Guinea-Bissau - 90 days
- Kenya - 90 days
- Madagascar - 30 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Malawi - 30 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Mauritius - 60 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Morocco - 90 days
- Mozambique - 30 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Rwanda - 90 days
- Seychelles - 90 days
- Somalia - 30 days, visa issued upon arrival
- Tanzania - visa issued upon arrival
- Togo - seven days, visa issued upon arrival
- Uganda - visa issued upon arrival
- Mauritania - visa issued upon arrival
This story originally appeared on Spot.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Smartparenting.com.ph editors.
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