Allow me to unveil a fact you might be unaware of – the United Arab Emirates, often abbreviated as UAE, is a spectacularly enticing haven for residency.

In this revolving sphere we call home, amongst all the vivacious and spirited nations dotting its surface, the UAE unequivocally stands as an enigma. It does not merely break records, it sets them ablaze, attracting throngs of tourists while simultaneously enticing expatriates to settle in for a longer haul.

However, it is not just the expats and tourists that are in for a treat. The native Emiratis find themselves in an even more advantageous situation, for their passport has undergone a transformation - from strong to Herculean.

The UAE passport, undergoing a steady ascent, has secured a higher rank year after year. In this annual race, it has advanced by three positions, landing as the 12th most influential passport in the global arena, and reigning as the supreme powerhouse in its regional context.

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In possession of a UAE passport? You've hit the jackpot. The list of nations welcoming you with open arms sans a visa has expanded to 179, in contrast to the preceding count of 176 in July 2022. This noteworthy detail comes straight from the horse's mouth - the prestigious Henley Passport Index.

The Index, maintaining its position as the pioneer and the most esteemed of passport-ranking establishments, features the UAE in an impressively high position. The ranks, underpinned by the official statistics provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), are far from mere conjecture.

Dr Christian H Kaelin, steering the ship at Henley & Partners as the chairman, expressed, “The UAE has managed to append an awe-inspiring total of 107 destinations to its visa-free score since 2013, thereby catapulting its ranking by an astounding 44 places in the last decade, from the 56th to the 12th position. This ascension nearly overshadows the next most significant leap by Colombia, which has celebrated a climb of 28 places, landing at the 37th spot.”

On the global stage, Singapore claimed the topmost honor, possessing the mightiest passport, offering visa-free access to 192 of the total 227 destinations.

In terms of regional counterparts in the GCC, Qatar snagged the silver (52nd on the global scale), followed by Kuwait (54), Bahrain (59), Oman (60), and Saudi Arabia (61), respectively.