Australian citizenship 16th most valuable in the world, consulting firm says

The Australian passport has been deemed 16^th most valuable in the world, according to a listing from global consulting firm Nomad Capitalist. The listing takes into consideration 199 countries on the basis of their “value of citizenship.”

Australia finds itself tied with the United Kingdom. Australia achieved top points in factors including perception, dual citizenship and freedom. Australian citizens maintain an impressive international reputation, can hold other citizenships in most instances, and are among the most free.

The considerations that Nomad Capitalist uses to create the rankings are visa-free travel, taxation, perception, dual citizenship and overall freedom. Australians are given visa-free access to 169 countries. Visa-free access accounts for 50 percent of a country’s ranking, making it the most desired factor. Germany has scored the highest points in this regard, providing visa-free access to 177 countries.

Taxation is the second heaviest factor, accounting for 20 percent of a country’s ranking. Perception, dual citizenship and overall freedom round up the list – with 10 percent each. New Zealand, on the other hand, ranks higher tan Australia – at the 11^th spot.

The Australian passport received the second lowest score in terms of its taxation arrangement for expats. Nomad Capitalist notes that while those holding an Australian citizenship are able to avoid taxation by moving overseas, it happens with difficulty.

Sweden was crowned the world’s most valuable passport, according to the listing. The country scored impressively in terms of visa-free access. Swedish citizens can travel to 176 countries without a visa. In addition, they maintain an “excellent reputation” abroad, are provided a provision to hold dual or multiple citizenships and have high levels of personal freedom. The citizens can also avoid Swedish taxation by moving abroad.

The top 10 countries are all from Europe. After Sweden, they are Belgium, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland and Luxembourg.

The United States passport ranked 35^th on the listing. It was tied with Slovenia.

The US scored more points with regards to being able to travel easily to more countries. It allows a visa-free access to 174 countries. However, US citizens are subject to taxation on their worldwide income irrespective of where they live. They do not hold a respected international reputation and have less freedom than citizens of some of the other nations.

The bottommost position is held by Afghanistan. Citizens from the country can travel easily to only 25 countries, are not allowed to have dual or multiple citizenships and are subject to taxation on their international income.