Bratislava (source: TASR)
The Slovak passport is the 10th most powerful in the world, together with Hungary and Lithuania.
This stems from the recent 2020 Henley Passport Index (HPI), ranking 107 countries. Among the reasons is Slovakia’s EU and Schengen Area memberships as well as the EU’s common visa policy, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
“It is thanks to the long-term efforts of our diplomats and years of work, which have contributed to Slovakia being better developed in 2020 than in 1998 or 1993,” Foreign Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson Juraj Tomaga told the SITA newswire.
Although Slovakia’s best score, ninth place, came in 2019, the country’s rankings have improved significantly over the years. The HPI ranked Slovakia 22nd in 2006, when Slovaks could travel to 97 countries visa-free. Today, they can travel to 181 countries without visa requirements.
Talks with South Africa
Even if the EU does not have an agreement with a third country on visa-free access, Slovakia can still successfully negotiate its own agreements with third countries since it is a democratic country that is a member of international organisations as well, Tomaga added.
