2023's best international passports were revealed

Passport guidelines for 2023 have just been issued, and the best passports ever are among them. These are the best ones that you can buy right now.

In the world we live in now, a passport, preferably a good one, is one of the most valuable things money can buy. It's not a mansion or a sports car.

Based on data from the International Air Transport Association, immigration firm Henley & Partners released its latest global passport index this week. The index ranks 199 passports by the number of countries you can enter without a visa.

Citizenship-by-investment programmes are only available in eight of the top fifty passports. Most people call these controversial immigration plans "golden passports." They let foreigners get citizenship in a country in exchange for making large investments in the local economy.

Austria's passport lets people enter 188 countries without a visa. It was ranked fifth on the list, above the UK, Canada, and the US, making it one of the strongest passports in the world. Not surprisingly, it's also one of the hardest passports for people from other countries to get, but it's not impossible.

Article 10, Section 6 of the Austrian Citizenship Act says that the Austrian government can give citizenship to foreigners who show "extraordinary merit" and make a big contribution to the state's scientific, cultural, or economic interests.

In contrast to other "citizenship by investment" programmes, applicants to the Austrian programme must invest directly in the economy of Austria. Experts in Austrian law say that this can mean starting a business, creating new jobs, or bringing in new technologies. Forbes says that it is not clear how much money needs to be invested to get the award, but it is thought to be around $9.5 million.

If you can't afford Austria's price tag of several million dollars, Malta, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and North Macedonia all have golden passport programmes that aren't as strict. These countries are ranked lower on Henley's top 50 list, but each lets you enter over 100 countries without a visa.

Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and St. Lucia, which are all island nations, have the least expensive golden passport programs. They give citizenship to people who invest at least $100,000.

On the other hand, Malta's golden passport programme is the most popular because the country is a member of the EU. To qualify, applicants must own or rent a home in Malta for five years, give between €600,000 and €750,000, and give an extra €10,000.

Golden passport programmes were first made for countries that were having trouble with their economies. The goal was to bring in foreign talent and investment to help the local economy. The EU has recently put a stop to the programmes, saying that they pose a security risk to the union and give safe places to people who have been banned.