Dossier

Visa-free destinations: Surprises in latest ranking in Maghreb

Henley Passport Index, watched by travellers around the globe, has just been released. The annual Henley Passport Power (HPP) ranking had its share of good amazement for the African continent and particularly the Maghreb countries. The April 2024 delivery bodes well for North African countries…

First the Algerian passport. It marks the most spectacular advance, 4 places better than in the last ranking. The Algerian travel document is now ranked 87th in the world (91st last February), with this the Algerians open the doors to 56 destinations without the visa headache. Indeed, the number of places has not changed compared to the earlier study but the main thing is elsewhere at this step: Algerian Soft Power is improving as the country’s economy strengthens.

Algiers can and must do better. The vast majority of destinations accessible without a visa are in Africa and it is impossible to travel to the 27 countries of the European Union without the precious sesame. But the dynamics in this year’s ranking and Algeria’s performance in all areas indicate notable progress shortly.

On the scale of the Maghreb, it is the Moroccan passport which is the strongest, it occupies 73rd place in the world and 8th position in Africa. Tunisia is defending itself extremely well, as in the previous ranking, despite the post-revolutionary torments; the country of Jasmine offers itself a more than honourable 8th position in Africa, tied with Morocco, and a 2nd place in the Maghreb. For Algeria, it will be the 20th continental rank…

Mauritania, whose diplomatic and economic growth is remarkable, is doing even better than Algeria: 84th place in the world and 3rd in the Maghreb region. Libya, weighed down by the demons of its Revolution, could not do better than 101st in the world and 5th in the Maghreb.

Worldwide, the leaders stay the same in the Henley Global ranking: French, German, Italian, Japanese, Singaporean and Spanish passports. Those who present these documents have access to 194 destinations without the slightest hassle – visa – meaning almost all doors throughout the world are open to them. This also explains the mortal jeopardies that some – illegal migrants – take to land in these “paradises”… only to finally discover that they are not paradises.

Note that the Henley Passport Index, designed by a migration consultancy based in London, sets a ranking of passports based on the number of destinations accessible without a visa. To do this, the firm relies on official data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). So it is a very reliable study, hence its impact on tourists, expatriates, operators and foreign investors.