The Maltese passport has dropped one place to joint eighth in a global index ranking the world's most powerful passports. It is based on the number of destinations passport holders can access without a prior visa and was drawn up by the country's former cash-for-passports scheme concessionaires, Henley and Partners. Published annually, the Henley Passport Index for 2022 ranked Malta’s passport as the eighth strongest in the world, down one spot from the seventh place it held last year. The country’s passport entitles holders to visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 185 destinations, based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Malta has fluctuated between joint seventh and eighth places for the last four years. In 2010 it held its lowest ranking, at 10th place. Japan leads scoreboard The country was awarded the same amount of points this year as in 2021, however, Japan, which again topped the ranking this year saw its score increase by one point, pushing several countries into a lower position. Japan was ranked as having the strongest passport with a visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 193, followed by Singapore and South Korea in second place,...