Photo: Getty ImagesNew Zealand's passport, which allows visa-free access to 171 countries, has been ranked the world's seventh-equal most powerful. The Henley Passport Index, announced this week, puts Germany's passport at the top, ahead of the likes of Singapore, the United States, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. German passport owners have visa-free access to 177 countries. The bottom-ranked countries are Afghanistan (24 countries visa-free), Iraq (27) and Syria (28). Christian H. Kalin, group chairman of Henley & Partners, said the need for visa- free access was greater than ever.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 14, 2018 19:30 UTC