Study: Irish passport highly desirable

The Irish passport is among the most powerful travel permits in the world, a new study shows.

A passport map, created by movehub.com, shows Ireland has one of the most desirable passports in the world, ranking at number 4. The harp-emblemed pass allows Irish citizens to gain smooth entry to 170 countries.

Ireland ranks alongside Canada, France, Japan, Norway, Portugal, and Spain when it comes to crossing borders without a visa or simply getting a visa on arrival. It even trumps Vatican City, which only has visa-free entry into 130 countries.

However, British passport holders have the best access to foreign countries, along with Finland and Sweden, with admission to 173 countries.

“Ireland ranks very highly compared to the rest of the world, higher than Australia, Brazil, and the Vatican City,” said Max Holloway, a spokesman for Movehub.

“And with only three fewer countries granting visa-free access than a British passport, it will still be one of the most sought- after passports in the world, especially now as there is a reported backlog of nearly 30,000 British passport applications.”

The nation with the least passport power is war-torn Afghanistan, with citizens only able to visit some 28 countries without a visa.

Conflict-ridden Iraq, Pakistan, and Somalia also come bottom of the list with access to just 31 or 32 countries.

“Nine of the top 10 passports are in the EU, making any EU passport desirable,” Mr Holloway said.