Photo: Jay Willett/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Travelers might want to double-check if they need a visa to where they're traveling. A new ranking from the Henley Global Passport Index shows the U.S. passport is declining in power.
Once ranked number one, the U.S. has dropped to 10th place in terms of the most powerful passports in the world. This meant the United States had the most countries allowing visitors to enter without a visa.
According to the Henley Global Passport Index Ranking, the U.S. ranked first back in 2006 and stayed relatively high until it ranked first again in 2014. Since then, the power of the U.S. passport has been dropping.
The change has come as a big surprise for many travelers at Boston Logan Airport, like Christina.
“I didn’t know that, that’s crazy,” said Christina. “That’s scary because I know we want to travel with our friends to Thailand next year, and Bali… I don’t know how I feel about that.”
Causes of the drop could include geopolitical uncertainty between countries.
Singapore now takes the number one spot for most powerful passport, with Japan and South Korea tied for second. Although the U.S. placed 10th, 33 other countries are ahead in the ranks, as many are tied at different ranks.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.