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With global economic uncertainty, travel restrictions and different lockdown regulations in every country, the demand for citizenship has exploded since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. NZZ am Sonntag interviews the Chairman of Henley & Partners, Dr Christian H. Kälin, about the company’s work in investment migration, dual citizenship, as well as his plans to create a city for refugees.

Europe, with Germany at the top, dominates this year’s list of the world’s most powerful passports.

With COVID-19 travel restrictions still in place, passport inequality has never been more problematic for the global traveler.

The global gap in travel freedoms has never been wider, says the latest report by London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners. The firm's Henley Passport Index, based on exclusive data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has been regularly monitoring the world's most travel-friendly passports since 2006.

Japan and Singapore have been found to have the world’s most powerful passports in the latest Henley Passport Index. Both nations offer visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to 192 destinations. Germany and South Korea came in joint second, with a score of 190, while Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain earned joint third position.

New Zealand passport has quietly climbed to 6th place in the power rankings. This is up two places since the start of the pandemic, leapfrogging both the US and UK passports which grant 185 visa free travel destinations. While access power is again improving for some passports, the post-pandemic gap between the most and least valuable passports has grown to the widest on record.

The most recent data from the Henley Passport Index, which ranks the strength of passports across the world, puts the UAE in 16th position. The Emirates shares its spot with three other nations – Chile, Monaco and Romania. Citizens from each of these countries can travel visa-free to 174 destinations, according to the fourth quarter rankings which were released on Tuesday.

South African passports now rank as the 58th most useful in the world, down two places, in a major index. Visa-free access for South Africans to the rest of the world hasn't actually declined, though; the change is a relative one. Borders hardened as a Covid-19 measure will not likely just open up again, some travel experts believe.

The recently launched Best Residence-by- Investment Cities for Business Index ranks the leading 25 cities that are offering competitive incentives to attract the world’s wealth and business. The index is an interactive tool, developed by Henley & Partners in partnership with Deep Knowledge Analytics, that draws on multiple datasets to make strategic relocation decisions easier to navigate.

This unique new index ranks the leading 25 capitals and cities around the world where international entrepreneurs, company owners, professionals and HNWIs can acquire residence through investment migration programs.

The emirate leads in tax category and scores well for its infrastructure and Covid safety, according to a new index.

Business considerations as increasingly important for individuals as they make strategic relocation decisions in the current and post-pandemic landscape, according to the residence and citizenship planning specialist.